Hyundai plant richmond hill ga

Richmond Hill Ga

2019.03.08 04:36 plzstoporiwilldie Richmond Hill Ga

This sub-reddit is for Richmond Hill, Georgia.
[link]


2009.08.20 19:26 mcphatty Honda Clarity Electric Vehicles- 2018/19/20 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy

Welcome to Clarity, a sub about the Honda Clarity Electric Series, winner 2017 Green Car of the Year and 2018/19/20 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy. Ask questions, tell us about your Clarity or post anything you think is important relating to EV's in general, and please subscribe.
[link]


2013.11.01 16:57 randoh12 A fan based sub dedicated to Arkansas Razorbacks sports.

/azorbacks is here for you. Let me know what you want to do with it.
[link]


2023.06.03 22:23 Joadzilla Georgia probe of Trump broadens to activities in other states

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/06/02/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fulton-county/
An Atlanta-area investigation of alleged election interference by President Donald Trump and his allies has broadened to include activities in D.C. and several states, according to two people with knowledge of the probe — a fresh sign that prosecutors may be building a sprawling case under Georgia’s racketeering laws.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) launched an investigation more than two years ago to examine efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his narrow 2020 defeat in Georgia. Along the way, she has signaled publicly that she may use Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute to allege that these efforts amounted to a far-reaching criminal scheme.
In recent days, Willis has sought information related to the Trump campaign hiring two firms to find voter fraud across the United States and then burying their findings when they did not find it, allegations that reach beyond Georgia’s borders, said the two individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the investigation. At least one of the firms has been subpoenaed by Fulton County investigators.
Willis’s investigation is separate from the one at the Justice Department being led by special counsel Jack Smith, but the two probes have covered some of the same ground. Willis has said she plans to make a charging decision this summer, and she has indicated that such an announcement could come in early August. She has faced stiff criticism from Republicans for investigating the former president, and the ever-widening scope suggests just how ambitious her plans may be.
The state’s RICO statute is among the most expansive in the nation, allowing prosecutors to build racketeering cases around violations of both state and federal laws — and even activities in other states. If Willis does allege a multistate racketeering scheme with Trump at its center, the case could test the bounds of the controversial law and make history in the process. The statute calls for penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
“Georgia’s RICO statute is basically two specified criminal acts that have to be part of a pattern of behavior done with the same intent or to achieve a common result or that have distinguishing characteristics,” said John Malcolm, a former Atlanta-based federal prosecutor who is now a constitutional scholar at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “That’s it. It’s very broad. That doesn’t mean it’s appropriate to charge a former president, but that also doesn’t mean she can’t do it or won’t do it.”
Among Willis’s latest areas of scrutiny is the Trump campaign’s expenditure of more than $1 million on two firms to study whether electoral fraud occurred in the 2020 election, the two individuals said. The Post first reported earlier this year that the work was carried out in the final weeks of 2020, and that the campaign never released the findings because the firms, Simpatico Software Systems and Berkeley Research Group, disputed many of Trump’s theories and could not offer any proof that he was the rightful winner of the election.
In recent days, Willis’s office has asked both firms for information — not only about Georgia but about other states as well. Trump contested the 2020 election results in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Ken Block, the CEO of Simpatico Software Systems, declined to comment on what he has turned over to investigators. A lawyer for the Berkeley Research Group also declined to comment. A spokesman for Willis declined to comment on the investigation. Lawyers for Trump also declined to comment.
It is unclear if Willis will seek indictments of people for alleged actions that occurred outside Georgia, such as those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. RICO experts say it’s unlikely she will do so. But, these experts said, the law allows Willis to build a sweeping narrative of an alleged pattern of behavior to overturn the 2020 election, with Georgia as just one piece. Evidence and actions outside the state, such as Trump’s statements from Washington that inspired some of the rioters and the parallel efforts to overturn other states’ results, could be presented as additional evidence that helps establish that pattern.
“The Georgia statute is broadly written” to allow the inclusion of violations of federal law as well as some other states’ laws, said Morgan Cloud, a law professor at Emory University in Atlanta and expert on the state’s RICO law. “For example, acts to obstruct justice committed in Arizona might be relevant if the goal of the enterprise, of the racketeering activity, was to overturn the 2020 presidential election nationally, as well as in Georgia.”
Cloud added that prosecutors in Georgia must prove only that two racketeering crimes occurred under the state RICO statute, but that other facts could be used to explain the breadth of an alleged scheme.
An ambitious prosecution
Willis’s investigation has already come under scrutiny as a test of applying state criminal laws to actions that revolved around a federal election — and that in many instances resembled constitutionally protected speech. The probe has prompted a debate, even among those who believe Trump’s efforts were improper, as to whether prosecutors will be able to prove that Georgia crimes were committed.
Her potentially sweeping application of Georgia’s RICO statute could amplify those questions. RICO allows prosecutors to target leaders of alleged criminal enterprises who in previous generations eluded convictions. In Georgia, it can be applied to many patterns of activity that are crimes under state or federal law, such as dogfighting or drug dealing, obstruction or conspiracy — going far beyond its origins as a tool to fight organized crime.
Several legal experts said they expect Willis to home in on possible false statements by Trump and his allies to government officials — one of the crimes that can be prosecuted under Georgia’s RICO statute.
In 2015, Willis attracted national attention as a deputy district attorney by using RICO to prosecute a massive cheating scandal in Atlanta’s public schools that sent eight teachers and administrators to prison.
Prosecutors in Georgia have obtained RICO convictions where the pattern of racketeering activity included actions in other states. In one notable case, prosecutors in Richmond County got convictions for several men they accused of kidnapping a Sam’s Club manager in a robbery scheme in 1998, stuffing him into the trunk of a car, driving to South Carolina and killing him by setting the car on fire.
In the Trump case, Willis has said she is focused on the phone calls Trump made to multiple Georgia officials seeking to reverse his defeat, his campaign’s efforts to persuade the Georgia legislature to declare Trump the winner, the gathering of Trump’s electors to cast electoral college votes for Trump after Joe Biden had been declared the winner in the state, and the Trump campaign’s potential involvement in an unauthorized breach of election equipment in rural Coffee County, Ga.
Dozens of people participated in those efforts, according to reams of emails, texts and deposition transcripts from the House investigation into the Jan. 6 attack: Trump lawyers such as Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, Ray Smith and John Eastman; senior advisers including then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; Jeffrey Clark, then a senior official at the Justice Department; and Georgia GOP leaders including the party chairman, David Shafer, and its then finance chairman, Shawn Still.
Multiple legal experts have said persuading a jury that those actions broke the law could prove difficult. The debate reflects the unprecedented nature of Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. While the effort immediately prompted calls to hold him and others criminally responsible, identifying laws that apply to such a scenario has proved challenging — and could help explain why Willis’s investigation is in its third year. That dynamic applies both to the Georgia investigation as well as the special counsel’s federal probe.
Most of those scrutinized in the Willis investigation have maintained that they did nothing wrong. They had every right to pursue claims of anomalies, many have said, particularly given how close Biden’s margin of victory was in Georgia, two-tenths of 1 percent.
“There’s not a single thing that I did in pursuit of election integrity that I have any regret or concern about,” Shafer said in a recent GOP address.
“It’s dangerous,” said Malcolm, the Heritage scholar, referring to the investigation in Georgia of contingent electors. “What you’re doing is tainting political activists who are trying to play a part in an election, who are trying to help their candidate, and all of a sudden you’re launching a criminal investigation.”
Norm Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House of Representatives’ first impeachment of Trump, over his pressure campaign with Ukraine, cautioned that it’s too soon to judge the investigation, but said he believes the overall case is a “strong one.”
“Either skepticism or belief is premature because we are not privy to all the evidence that the district attorney has amassed at this point,” said Eisen, a criminal defense attorney and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “It just depends on the evidence.”
Eisen was among the authors of a lengthy examination of the applicable law in the Fulton investigation, concluding that possible crimes, besides racketeering, included making false statements and conspiracy to commit election fraud.
Malcolm said he agrees with the report’s conclusion that Trump is at substantial risk of being charged. But he said he believes much of its analysis is “slanted and misguided.”
Trump’s call to Georgia
Willis launched her probe shortly after Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021, phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), during which Trump said, “I just want to find 11,780 votes.” That number would have given Trump exactly the votes he needed to reverse Biden’s victory.
While Trump has been widely rebuked for that comment and others during the roughly one-hour call, it’s unclear to some legal analysts if uttering those words broke the law.
Trump did not spell out that he wanted Raffensperger to break the law; nor did he directly ask the state official to find the votes, which might have given Willis a clearer path to seek a felony charge against him, such as solicitation to commit election fraud. Instead, the comment could be interpreted as the president simply spelling out the math that would allow him to reverse Biden’s victory.
Trump may have hurt himself, however, in his appearance last month at a town hall broadcast by CNN, during which he explained that he called Raffensperger to tell him, “You owe me votes because the election was rigged.” Willis could offer the statement as evidence of Trump’s intent for Raffensperger to switch votes, several legal experts said.
“Subjects of criminal investigation aren’t usually reckless enough to go on national television and admit their corrupt intent,” Anthony Michael Kreis, a constitutional law professor at Georgia State University, wrote on Twitter after the appearance. “But Donald Trump just handed Fani Willis a new piece of evidence and tied a bow on it.”
Willis has also investigated appearances by Giuliani and other Trump allies before Georgia lawmakers in the days immediately after the 2020 election, during which they described fantastical conspiracies of voting machines swapping Trump votes for Biden votes and poll workers in Atlanta triple-counting suitcases full of ballots.
It’s a felony in Georgia to make a false statement in a government matter, but Willis must prove that Giuliani and the others knew that what they were saying was false. Giuliani was not speaking under oath, so there is no exposure for perjury charges, and some legal experts say he might also be protected under the First Amendment.
Willis may also examine the actions of Clark, then the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil division, who wanted to send a letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and state legislative leaders falsely claiming that the department was investigating “significant concerns” in the 2020 election, and urging them to call a special session of the General Assembly to appoint Trump’s electors to cast Georgia’s electoral college votes. Senior Justice Department officials blocked Clark from sending the draft.
Whether the Republican electors who convened to cast electoral college votes for Trump on Dec. 14, 2020, broke the law is perhaps even murkier.
Georgia was among seven states where the Trump campaign and local GOP officials arranged for alternate electors to convene with the stated purpose of preserving legal recourse while an election challenge made its way through the courts. Willis has offered some form of immunity to 12 of the 16 electors, according to three individuals with knowledge of the investigation. Not counted among those with immunity are Still, now a Georgia state senator, and Shafer.
Shafer helped organize the meeting and presided over it. Still has been described in news reports as having blocked members of the media from entering the room before the meeting started. Prosecutors have apparently focused on those activities in their questions to various witnesses, according to three other people with knowledge of the interviews. Prosecutors have also inquired about who mailed the electoral certificates to Washington, they said.
One of Shafer’s lawyers, Holly Pierson, wrote in a letter to Willis that Shafer had no knowledge that Trump allies would propose, later in December, to use the alternate elector certificates to block the counting of electoral votes for Biden in the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress. It is not even clear if the plan to thwart the joint session had been hatched by Dec. 14, 2020, the day the electors met. The House committee did not refer Shafer or Still to the Justice Department for federal prosecution. Pierson declined to comment.
As the nation waits to see what, if any, charges Willis will seek, one key question is what evidence she has gathered that Trump, his campaign or allies knew about all the different efforts to reverse Biden’s victory. And that’s just the first step — getting to trial and persuading a jury may present even more formidable challenges.
“Proving all this beyond a reasonable doubt,” Kreis said, “that’s going to be the hard part.”
submitted by Joadzilla to gamefaqs261 [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:07 arekitect Serving local community for 150 years - number one local attraction! 🤦‍♂

Serving local community for 150 years - number one local attraction! 🤦‍♂ submitted by arekitect to richmondhill [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:30 sumthingawsum What are these bushes? I have three planters with a different plant in each. There also seems to be a flowery weed growing in the middle one which is also all over the hill behind. Located in Orange County, CA

What are these bushes? I have three planters with a different plant in each. There also seems to be a flowery weed growing in the middle one which is also all over the hill behind. Located in Orange County, CA submitted by sumthingawsum to whatsthisplant [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:28 Wonderful-Candle-612 re: Peak pricing for Richmond Hill detached at the end of June?

Does anyone think Richmond Hill can set new peak pricing at the end of month for the detached segment?
It seems like more of question of when than if
https://housesigma.com/web/en/market?municipality=10280&community=all&house_type=D.&ign
submitted by Wonderful-Candle-612 to TorontoRealEstate [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:23 BoredAndOlddd Thrips?

Thrips?
My orchid has gone down hill lately - losing all of its leaves. I thought it was due to neglect. I was pregnant with a very sick child so my plant did not get sufficient water. When I was tending to it today I noticed these black bugs that are thin with two antennas and some very slender light green ones as well. Are these thrips? I’m really hoping not as I have other orchids on the same shelf and just got gifted a new one. Thank you for any help!
submitted by BoredAndOlddd to houseplants [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 20:26 Songsong05 [GA]-Ktown LA-Plant trimmings

[GA]-Ktown LA-Plant trimmings
Hello. I did a massive trim and have a lot of plants available. The net is in the picture for scale. (I know, I should have used a bannana). The plants are l i m n o p h i l a - s e s s i f l o r a. I would appreciate if you had some no planaria (I have a hydra infestation in one of my other tanks) or frozen food but if you don’t no worries, its free. No algae and no snails. Pick up only.
submitted by Songsong05 to AquaSwap [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 20:05 RZR_nEo Does anyone know mods for plant Sims to have normal Sims lifespans?

I’ve been wanting to play in Riverblossom Hills for a while, but never got to because I don’t like that plant Sims can only be toddler-adult-elder, so I never play with the Greenman family, which stops me to play this neighborhood because I want to play with all the families.
Does anyone know a mod that allows plant sims to have the same lifespan of a normal sim, please?
submitted by RZR_nEo to thesims2 [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 19:44 NamelessNanashi [The Gods of Dragons: Beginning] Ch 15 - Burn Baby Burn

--- Table of Contents ---
Autumn 4986, 16 Aoimoth
Shon and Nangran hobbled their horses at the base of a steep hill deep in the woods north of Hamerfoss. They'd left at fourth bell, before any of the other Squires had woken for their morning run, and it had still taken them hours of riding through narrow trails to reach this place. At least they hadn't run into any monsters. The snow that had dusted the landscape during the night lay thick here, crunching underfoot and occasionally flopping noisily to either side as it fell from the tall evergreen branches.
Shon adjusted the strap of his sword across his chest and reached his left hand back to brush shaking fingers over its hilt. He'd been glad when the Paladins insisted he take it with him. To them, it marked Shon as a representative of Hengist and the Temple. To Shon, it was a sign of his hard work and resolve. Having it was a comfort.
Nangran started up the hill, and Shon hurried to follow. The smith hadn’t spoken a word since they set out, not even to try and ease Shon’s anxiety, for which Shon was grateful. Master Daunas had tried to sound confident as Shon saddled his borrowed horse, and The Major General had offered him encouragement as they mounted. Neither realized how much that just drove home the desperation of the situation in Shon’s mind.
The smith pulled his heavy cloak tighter, and Shon looked away. He hadn’t bothered to wear his cloak. He'd never really felt chilled in the winter like others seemed to. Now that he knew why, he wished he had. Cold continued to swirl around him, enhanced by his worries. If he could just block those emotions, the power would never have been a problem to begin with.
The trees thinned the higher they climbed, disappearing almost entirely as they crested the top of the hill. The clearing looked over the treetops, offering an unimpeded view of the horizon. Forest all around, with flatland to the south and rocky mountain peaks to the north. Only a handful of small trees grew in the clearing, and in the middle stood a little ramshackle hut only slightly larger than an outhouse.
Nangran threw his arm out, stopping Shon from walking past him, "Don't touch anything. And don't be surprised if he says no right off."
Shon nodded, trying to swallow down his fear so it wouldn't be seen in his eyes. Dropping his hand, Nangran started forward again, finishing, "Be honest, but not insulting." The instructions, -or perhaps advice?- seemed like common courtesy, which made Shon wonder why quiet Nangran had bothered to say anything.
As they drew closer to the little shack, Shon could make out a sign on the door. He squinted to read it and had just made out 'No Soliciting' when the door swung open, banging against the wall and sending birds into flight. An old man, so thin he looked like a skeleton with yellow skin pulled tight across its bones, stormed out. Wearing nothing but a loincloth, he was shaking a thick stick at them that glinted with red rubies in the low autumn light.
"I already paid my dues for this decade! So you can take your request and shove it-" Shon’s hand instinctively reached for his sword, but Nangran just crossed his arms over his barrel chest. The old -virtually naked- man stopped yelling mid-rant and lifted one shriveled arm to shade his eyes as he squinted at them, "Eh? Flintchest, what’re you doing way out here with a blasted mage in tow?"
Rather than answer, Nangran started forward again, he didn't much care for talking, let alone shouting. Looking from Nangran to the loincloth man, Shon slowly lowered his arm, but still took position to the left and just behind the Smith as they approached the crazy man with the glittering club.
"No mage." Nangran said as he came right up to the strange old man, "Squire." he glanced over his shoulder at Shon and finished, "Sorcerer."
The old man spat on the ground and moved his squint to Shon. Running his eyes from the top of his black head to the tip of his polished boots and back, exaggerating the movement before he stopped at the Squire’s cold blue eyes.
He spat again, then barked "Where's your familiar?" scanning first the ground at Shon's feet then the sky above his head.
Shon blinked at him, furrowing his brow in confusion at the question. The mage snapped his fingers impatiently, "Your familiar! All Sorcerers have a familiar."
Nangran came to his rescue, "Just woke last night," he said shortly.
The mage spat again but didn't argue, "Well, come in then." Shon looked sideways at Nangran, but the Smith had already begun following the skinny old man into the shack. Shon hurried to catch up.
Inside, Shon's eyes were assaulted with a sparkling rainbow of colors. The room they'd entered was considerably larger than the outside would suggest, with plush carpet and a stuffed high-back armchair in front of a blazing fire in the opposite wall. Shelves full of exotic plants, glowing glass jars, and glittering stones filled every available space, reflecting off one another and setting streaks of light to dance on the floor and walls like sun rays through crystal.
There was too much to take in, so Shon focused on their host. The old man was slipping into a thick robe of deep purple velvet. He'd hung the club on the wall beside the door, which looked just as decrepit on this side as it had on the outside.
"Make a habit of greeting visitors half-naked and swinging an old fireball wand?" Nangran asked as he slipped out of his cloak.
"Keeps the conversations short." the old man replied tersely, tying his belt and turning to his guests. With boney knuckles on boney hips and glare firmly planted on his wrinkled face, he snapped, "Don't bother getting comfortable, Flintchest; you'll be leaving soon enough."
The Smith ignored him, hanging his cloak on the hook that had presumably held the mage's robe. "Got a favor to ask," he said, but the old man was already shaking his head,
"More like a favor to cash in. That's the only reason you're in here and not smoking in a hole outside."
Nangran ignored the threat and motioned from Shon to the old man and back. "Archmage Ivelm." The mage looked Shon up and down again as Nangran made the introductions, “Squire Shon.”
"Not much longer, I'd say." Ivelm said to Nangran as he finished his second examination, "It's to the Guild with this one. Too much magic." he turned his head and spat in a brass can by the door. It rang out with a loud ‘ting!' and Ivelm sniffed, looking down at Nangran again, "What do you want, Flintchest?"
"Need a seal. So the boy doesn't freeze Hamerfoss more than it already is." the smith crossed his arms, watching the mage and somehow still seeming completely at ease.
"Eh?!" Ivelm exclaimed, leaning far forward. Shon had to try hard not to crinkle his nose as the old man brought his face close enough that Shon could smell Ivelm's breath. Garlic, the mage ate a lot of garlic…
"So… you don't want to be a mage, do you?" he demanded, glaring down his nose at him. Shon shook his head and would have answered with a 'no ser.' except the mage continued, "Rather swing around some hunk of metal like a brute?"
Shon blinked stupidly, and Nangran cleared his throat, "Watch what you say about my swords, old man."
Ivelm ignored the smith as soundly as Nangran had ignored the Archmage, and continued to Shon, "The powers of the universe are at your fingertips. Blood blessed with the strength of the elements, and you wanna throw it all away," he threw his arms into the air, still uncomfortably close, "And for what? Some illusion of an honorable death by the sword?"
Shon didn't know what to say. He looked past the affronted mage's face, only an inch from his own, to Nangran. But the smith gave no sign he was going to help. Shon’s future depended on convincing this strange old man, this Archmage, to help…
Shon wasn't the type to try and convince anyone of anything, but the least he could do was explain himself. Shon stepped back from the mage to address him from a more comfortable distance. "I chose to dedicate my life to perfecting my art, and my art is martial combat," he said. Ivelm wrinkled his nose, his mouth twisting as if he were going to spit again, but Shon continued, "magic would be better served in the hands of someone who wants it badly enough to work for it. Like I've worked for my martial skills."
Ivelm leaned away from Shon, his eyebrows lifted into his frizzled gray hair. Shon looked to Nangran, hoping for some sign that this was a good response. The smith smiled from behind the mage.
"Soooo…" Ivelm drew the word out, "You think only those who dedicate themselves to strict study and practice should wield the power of the universe?" he leaned forward again, turning his head and fixing one eye on Shon like a bird. As if trying to catch him in a lie.
Shon nodded, confused, then asked, "Isn't that what it takes to effectively wield magic? Focused study?"
Ivelm didn't answer the question, instead turning his face to examine Shon with the other eye, scanning him up and down yet again. The old man had looked him up and down so much Shon wouldn't be surprised if the next question were about his hair or boots.
But Ivelm didn't ask another question. Instead, he stood straight and spat into the brass can with another ringing 'ting!' "I like this one," he said, turning his back on Shon and facing Nangran, "But it's too much." he shook his head, lifting his hands in helpless surrender, "Too much power, and ice at that. Stubborn element that one. And it's so finicky to block just elemental magic..."
Ivelm continued talking but Shon heard very little of it. A hole had opened in his gut, and it felt like his heart was racing his stomach to fall into it. But Nangran just rolled his eyes at the mage, interrupting, "Used to be the name in new magic items... made shackles to hold Archmages." he squinted at Ivelm, who had frozen mid-head shake, "Must've gotten rusty out…"
Ivelm snapped his fingers under the Smith's nose to stop him talking, "The mind does not rust, Flintchest!" he huffed, one bare foot tapping under his robe, "Not like your swords and shriveling muscles." Nangran just stared stubbornly, his thick, muscled arms still crossed over his broad chest.
The mage continued to tap his foot, his nose in the air. But as the silence stretched, Ivelm looked down at the smith, who continued to say nothing. The silent battle of wills ended when Ivelm threw his arms up in disgust and shook a finger under Nangran's nose, nearly hitting it, declaring, "I'll show you. I'll make a gem especially for this lad, and you'll see the mind only continues to grow sharper!"
He spun on his heel back to Shon, who had just made out the smith's returned smile from behind the mage when the old man snapped his fingers in Shon's face, making him jump. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come here so I can take some measurements!" Ivelm swung around again and marched across the room to a large workbench with plants and gems scattered across it. Shon scrambled after him, praying his thanks to Hengist and suddenly feeling light enough to float. His anxieties dropping away and melting like snow in summer.
***
It was already noon, and no one had come to see Her. She jumped up to grab the bars of Her window, pulling Herself up to peak out but seeing nothing but new snow and tree trunks. She was full to bursting with nervous energy, amplifying every sound and sensation. Footsteps sounded outside Her door, and She dropped from the window, sprinting across the room and resting Her ear on the wood.
“Ran, recheck the lab. Brom, with me.” Archmage Morndancer spoke with his strange alternation between draconic and common as he passed Her door without stopping. She could easily make out the swish of their robes on the stone hall leading away. Three people, Brom, Ran, and Archmage Morndancer. And yet the scurrying of too many feet to be only the two apprentices and Archmage Shaloon, sounded from the floor above. There were strangers in her tower again. Many strangers. Something was happening, something big…
She ran to Her window again, just for something to do, seeking some way to burn off some of the anxiety of not knowing what was going on around her.
A roar from down the hall, a roar of pain, sent ice washing through her veins. She slammed into the door at full speed. Pounding on the wood, She called out, “Brom?! Ran?!” Nothing. Then a yip cut short, followed by barking and yowling.
She shook the handle with both hands, rattling the door on its hinges, “BROM! RAN!” Something was happening to Her treasures, something terrible… The door handle began to glow, the metal warping and sagging as it melted. The knowledge that She would be in more trouble than She had ever been in before was nothing compared to Her terror. She wrenched the handle back with all Her might, splashing molten metal across Her bed, lighting fires that flared in her panic, and sending smoke to curl up to the ceiling.
She didn’t care. She shouldered the door open and ran.
“Red?!” She passed the first open door but couldn’t stop as Ran called out to Her. Reaching Her treasures' room, She tried to stop but slipped, slamming into the ground with a sticky splash. A final whining bark started a buzzing in Her ears as She stared, transfixed, at Her hands. They were painted red. Warm and sticky. The overpowering stench of iron nearly made Her gag as She looked up to see Morndancer toss aside a glittering golden wolf pup, the body flopping limply over the corpse of its mother and siblings.
Her world went red.
***
The last sample was taken care of, but something roared with enough ferocity to shatter glass.
Morndancer's head snapped around in time for him to fall back, shielding his face with his hands as the Firewyrm exploded. White-hot fire engulfed Her and spread out to the stone floor and walls. His robes began to smoke, the new fire protection spells woven into them being overpowered by the sheer ferocity of the blaze.
Brom had no such spells, and he had only managed a single step towards the girl before he fell to the ground, writhing for only a moment before lying still. The Archmage heard Ran scream from the hall before the journeyman stumbled past the door, flailing wildly. Barely discernible as human inside the flames.
The Firewyrm moved towards him, stepping through Brom’s head, turned to ash, and blown up to dance in the air on the same heatwaves causing the girl's hair to wave wildly about Her. She didn't seem to notice, Her face was expressionless and her eyes glowed as red as the scales across Her cheek. Morndancer tried to snap his fingers, but the golden collar around Her neck melted, Her clothes burning off and leaving Her naked and terrible in the flames.
His robe was burning now, and only the pain of that could pull his eyes from the Firewyrm as he pointlessly tried to beat the fires off. He fell back, hitting the wall, which drooped, sagging and dripping molten stone onto his head and face. Then he fell further back, into a gate that opened behind him.
Shaloon pulled him through the portal and into the library three stories up. The Firewyrm roared again and the tower walls shook with the force of it. The gate closed, but Morndancer continued to burn. He could hear screaming. Was it him? Was he screaming? Fire burst up the spiral stairs in the middle of the room, and apprentices, both their own and many sent from the central and western Talon, scrambled about in a panic, some even leaping from the windows.
Shaloon cursed, holding out her hand and summoning her sword again. She had to draw the circle five times before a second gate finally formed, and she dove through it, pulling Morndancer along with her as it quickly closed. An apprentice reached through, and his arm fell at Morndancer’s feet, miles away in the sitting room of his manor back in Smildna.
He laughed. Shaloon slapped him, and he laughed. Ronni, his daughter, burst through the door, her own daughter, only a year old, perched on her hip, and still, he laughed. “What’s wrong?! What happened to him?!” he barely registered his daughter's words and continued to laugh, rolling around on the ground in mirthful madness.
“The Firewyrm She…” Shaloon started, but Morndancer yelled over her in draconic,
She is true! She is pure! She is rage! The children will come and raise the grandchildren! We have only to await the coming of those Chosen!” the room faded around him, becoming washed out and gray then finally black as he continued to laugh and shout, “They take those who slew them and use them to raise themselves anew…
He couldn’t feel his burns or the hands trying to settle him. He saw only darkness and stars. And the eyes of his Master boring into his soul from the outer planes.
***
Shon couldn't remember ever feeling so drained in his life. He'd been tired before, exhausted even, but it had never felt quite like this. The eccentric Archmage Ivelm had ordered him to 'empty his energy' into stone after stone. Measuring the weight, color, and temperature of each. Making notes in chalk directly on his table and talking to himself. Shon was shocked the first time he saw the smooth rock handed to him change from a translucent white to an onyx as black as his hair, but by the time they'd gone through the twentieth stone, Shon had decided to stop counting.
Ivelm, however, seemed to get more and more excited with each one. Giving Shon reason to suspect the mage may be taking the energy for himself. After what felt like hours, Ivelm finally stoppered the potion he'd mixed with the most recent jewel, glowing a soft pale blue, and stepped back from the workbench, bony hands on bony hips.
"It can be done." Ivelm swiveled to face Nangran, "He's strong, I don’t know how he managed not to manifest until now, but it's all focused in one elemental direction." he rubbed his chin and looked at the ceiling, completely ignoring Shon's arched eyebrow. "It has a bit of divine flavor as well. But I suppose that shouldn't be surprising for a training Paladin." The mage stopped musing and glared down his nose at Nangran, who had made himself comfortable in the oversized wingback chair by the fire, "It will have to be a lot bigger than a piece of jewelry would allow."
The smith just hummed and sipped at his mug. When had he gotten a mug? Shon looked from one old man to the other. It was apparent Ivelm wanted Nangran to ask him for details, but the ever stoic smith said nothing.
Shon was tired. His limbs felt heavy, and the weight of his simple uniform felt more like platemail. He was just about to ask what the Archmage meant, to hurry them along, when Ivelm threw his hands in the air and said, "You'll need to find somewhere to put it. I would recommend that." he pointed at the hilt of Shon's sword over his shoulder, continuing, "If the lad is insisting on swinging a metal stick around instead of harnessing the ultimate powers of the universe then that same stick might as well sap the power literally as well as figuratively." Shon arched an incredulous eyebrow but Ivelm wasn't paying attention, finishing, "I can get it down to about an inch and a half orb. At the smallest. If you want something different, say so now."
Nangran set his mug on the ground and stood with a grunt and a groan. Shon just wanted to go home and sleep for a week, so when the smith reached for the hilt of his sword for a closer look Shon hardly noticed, until the squat smith jerked it down to eye level. Shon swung his arms like a drowning man and stepped wide to prevent himself from falling over.
"Quit wigglin'," Nangran grumbled, studying the sword's pommel with a professional eye. "One and a half'll do, preferably in a tear…"
The mage snorted and continued to ignore the struggling half crouched Shon, his voice dripping sarcasm as he addressed the smith, "Shall I wrap it in silk for you as well?"
"Na." Nangran let go of the sword, and Shon stood straight, lifting his leg to shake out the knee. "Drop it off when you’re done." the Mage snorted again but didn't counter.
None of them were interested in extending the visit, so Nangran grabbed his heavy cloak and shrugged it on while Shon waited by the door. "It will be at least a fortnight," Ivelm called from his position by the workbench, not about to walk them out.
Nangran grunted his confirmation and opened the battered and decrepit door, letting the wind and early autumn snow blow in on their way out. Shon followed numbly, his eyes unfocused as he walked, and ran right into the much shorter man. Nangran hardly moved as Shon bounced off of him. He was squinting into the distance, one large hand shading his eyes. Shon stared at Nangran for a moment before following the direction of his gaze over the tree line.
Smoke. A LOT of smoke. The black clouds billowed violently into the sky, occasionally lit from below by sparks shot high into the air.
"Elm!" Nangran shouted. Shon had never heard the man call so loudly. The Archmage must have also been shocked because the door to his hut swung open and he stuck his head out to look to either side, eyes wide.
"Flintchest, what?" but he soon saw what, "But, that's the old chemist's tower… What?" he stood in shocked confusion for a heartbeat before turning back into the hut. Shon looked from the shack to Nangran, but before he could say anything, the mage was back, struggling with two long rods, one blue with what looked like waves painted all around, the other black and studded with diamonds.
"Don't just stand there!" Ivelm snapped at the two as he finally managed to slip the blue rod into a sheath at his side. He then pointed the diamond rod at the space between two close-growing trees. Shon heard him say something unintelligible, and one of the diamonds shot out of the tip of the rod to hover between the trees before expanding into a portal.
Beyond the magical gate, Shon could hear the fire roar. It sounded how he imagined the burning hells might sound, but as he followed the two men through, he realized his imagination was tame by comparison.
The smell of burning flesh and hair choked him as they stepped clear of the gate's magic. The heat smashed into them like a wall, and all three brought their arms up to shield their faces. Around them were the charred remains of what looked like humans, their faces buried in the mud as if they'd been trying to run from the blaze. Shon had to swallow the bile that rose in his throat and focused instead on the fire Ivelm had said was a tower.
It was completely engulfed in bright flames of all colors. Squinting through the light, he could see the stone walls melting like wax. The arch of the doorway sagged in the middle, and Shon's eyes went wide. Someone was in there.
He would've had to shout over the roar of the flames, but it didn’t matter; Ivelm was already raising the blue wand, jerking his fingers in strange ways and mouthing words impossible to hear. Water shot out the tip of the wand with the force of a ballista and hissed against the glowing stones.
It wasn't possible. It must be a trick of the flickering flames. But the figure turned its face to them, long hair whipping about as it took steps in their direction.
"Don't just stand there, boy!" Ivelm screamed. "They must have a fire-resist spell; those things don't last forever!"
Nangran grabbed Shon’s upper arm, pulling him a step closer to the fire and down so he could shout in his ear, "Freeze a path."
Shon swallowed. He was so tired, literally drained. He didn't know what to do or how to do it. But the figure in the fire reached out to them only to pull away from a drop of molten rock. Shon fell to his knees, placing his hands on the ground and pleading silently to Hengist. He didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to control the power. He tried picturing a path of snow between himself and the tower base, concentrating on it until the mental image overlaid the real world, as he did when imagining phantom fighters during practice.
Ice snaked its way from Shon's fingers towards the burning tower along his mental path, powered by the fear that he wouldn't be fast enough to save the person inside. The water from Ivelm's wand helped carve the way, and Shon grunted physically as he struggled to push mentally. His breathing came heavy and ragged. He could feel the fire melting the edges of the ice as if it were a part of him. Still, he fought back and forced it to continue to form into solid sheets moving closer and closer to the figure still trapped in the tower.
Wherever the ice formed solid, it stayed. The fire drawing back from it until, finally, it reached the doorway. He urged the ice to climb up the doorframe, to hold it in place and keep it from falling, from moving at all.
Shon was seeing double. He struggled to focus on the figure and flinched as they stepped onto the frozen path. The ice hissed and melted under their bare unsteady feet, he could feel it... feel them, their heat, on his ice.
It was a young woman. Or an older girl. She was naked; her clothes burned away by the fire. Her long hair was being blown forward by the heat of the burning tower, obscuring her face. As she moved closer, Shon could make out strange red stripes snaking around her body, standing in stark relief against her pale skin.
Ivelm stepped in front of him then, throwing Nangran's cloak around her shoulders as she crumpled to the ground. Nangran himself knelt beside Shon, resting one massive hand on the Squire's back. "You can stop, lad…" his voice trailed off, and Shon felt an emptiness open in his chest. No one could have survived that, not if they hadn't already made it to the entrance like the girl. As if to punctuate the thought, Shon managed to focus his eyes only to see the tower's entrance wall fold and collapse in on itself, the stones flowing like soft wax.
--- Table of Contents ---
Sorry for the double post today. I wanted to keep Ch 14 & 15 together.
Thanks for making it this far, you are the real MVP
submitted by NamelessNanashi to redditserials [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 19:28 Art3misQ Need Help With Minecraft Urban Planning

So, I'm building a city in Minecraft (Java, 1.19.4) and I need a basic terrain map. Preferably an island/continent map?
For context, my goal is for it to be the perfect eco-city: fully sustainable, regenerative infrastructure, walkable, atmospheric, accessible, etc. Basically a utopia where plants and humans can thrive, therefore I need an ideal map.
I have been planning this for quite some time now and have constructed a lengthy urban planning document full of zoning info, architecture, history/background- in short: I'm ready to start.
I agree that downloading a Minecraft map for building a city seems like a laughably facile task in theory, but finding a map that is:
  1. Downloadable
  2. Flat enough to build on
  3. Not so flat that the terrain is boring (since the premise of the world is that the city heavily involves incorporating nature/ the landscape into the city)
  4. Permissible to use (I'm not sure if I will want to upload it once it is completed but I would prefer to have the option)
  5. A good size (I'm fairly flexible but this is a large project for one person so I would say somewhere around 4kx4k?)
  6. Interesting, has beaches, trees, rivers, hills, etc.
Is proving to be unexpectedly arduous. I have looked for months and even tried making a map of my own on world painter, but terrain is not my area of proficiency.
Thank you for reading, if anyone has any ideas or map recommendations that would be amazing and I would greatly appreciate any advice!
submitted by Art3misQ to u/Art3misQ [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 18:25 The_StoneWolf Should I plant the canal city to get access to trading as Portugal early?

Should I plant the canal city to get access to trading as Portugal early?
I have a very interesting starting position as Portugal (immortal difficulty) were I am facing a very important decision very early on that I am not sure how to face, since this is my first time playing Portugal. If I plant at position B I will be able to trade early, but at the expense of getting a kind of bad city as my second one. Position A is better in the better tiles as well as giving me access to ivory which I will otherwise miss out on. I can then place a canal district on tile B later on is the plan. As you might deduce I am leaning towards placing it on tile A, but I am very curious to hear what you guys think. A or B or maybe somewhere else?
https://preview.redd.it/v8pjcftevt3b1.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8ad2c93db13a07f84dc64499ca5198c7884938e
While you are at it, I would also like to ask some questions about the tiles just above. There is a lot of unusable desert there were I could place a Petra, but is it really worth it with there being very few desert hills around? As my third city I am planning on placing it on tile C or D. Which should I choose or should I maybe choose some other place?
I would really appreciate any help. This is only my fourth game on civ 6 so most things are still a bit new to me! The 600 hours in civ 5 do help however.
submitted by The_StoneWolf to civ [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 18:21 planetearthofficial List of my favorite lights personally… that i find to be the most useful and a couple other items to help

Wuben x1 for broad blindness just drove to big bend national park bright enough to light up sides of large hills aka fake grand canyons
Fenix tk20r gotta have a tac light food for looking through trees and desert plants and animals and strobe to scare hungry pesky coyote’s away.
Wurkkos fc 11 519a new but so nice will be testing runtimes
Olight copper pro 3 for moon light applications for sleeping in car while having a little light on in vehicle
Wurkkos ts10 4000k for extra comfort.
Emergency lights
Cyansky p25 ONLY for emergency has a 4000 lumen setting can signal an airplane
In an actual emergency EMERGENCY ONLY
I have a GX 750mw power laser ONLY for emergencies i would shine at other cars or in the sky to alert airplanes or helicopters if i had no chance of escape but this laser pointer is so powerful it can be seen 25 miles away perfect for true emergencies id shine it straight into the sky and hope to get help
Inmarsat IsatPhone 2 id use first before laser
I have been carrying a satellite phone for years im not gonna be caught lacking.
Fenix c7 trunk great for changing that flat tire in the middle of no where
Milwaukee usb c pivot light for changing alternator in remote dirt road in texas
submitted by planetearthofficial to flashlight [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 17:38 In_Yellow_Clad Buried Secrets -- (A One Shot)

History tells of a time when our world faced a great and terrible evil. Many might simplify this evil by calling it something utterly generic, like the Rise of the Demon King/Queen or the Scourge, when in reality it was far more complicated. That’s not to say there was no demon king, nor scourge for that matter, but the threat was more than just either of those things.
It began with a creeping corruption, or so the scrolls say. A blight upon the land that twisted our beautiful world into some form of hellish wasteland. A vile thing, of creeping flesh and pus, of gnashing teeth and scrabbling claw. That was only the start, we should have known this. It was easy at first to handle, we found even in our fledgling state, we elves, dwarves and the other elder races were fully capable of fighting this corruption, even containing it. But as time passed, this corruption grew and learned, it began to strategize, to think critically about its next move.
We did not know it, but it came from another world, another realm to be more precise. It had crept through a fissure in reality, oozing through like a pestilent sludge, fleeing something worse. Regardless of its origins though, it was evolving, and we knew not what awaited us.
See we grew complacent, we thought we could win and so relaxed, our efforts lessening as we took our time to come up with some method of total eradication. That only served to let the corruption gain strength, to test our weaknesses and exploit them with a subtlety not even our greatest spies could have matched. In time the corruption became almost myth, locked away, our attention turned elsewhere. It turned inward and old grudges reared their ugly heads.
So consumed with our petty disagreements that we failed to notice when one of our most revered heroes went missing, simply up and vanishing. We did not know they had ventured into the quarantine zone, that they had decided they would end the threat of the corruption themselves and fallen as a result. We did not know they had been remade and reborn as something cruel and hellbent on conquest.
When the attack came upon the walls of the mighty fortresses that blocked the growth of the corruption, it was swift and so well executed that no runner managed to flee to warn the others of what was coming for them. They were lost within days, and soon the other fortresses followed. One by one, till nothing stood in our foes' path to challenge them.
It flowed across the land like a terrible plague, an all consuming sickness that had no counter. And then the proclamation came from our enemy, a call for subservience and rebirth. The great Nephinae Daevaris, slayer of dragons and giants, had fallen and been reborn as Xarrekai the Defiler. Her reveal was enough to throw the world into even deeper chaos, to dash the hopes of all. Yet there were countless adventurers who rose to the challenge, attempting to slay the Dark Queen. Yet each of them fell, just as she had and joined her ranks, serving her without hesitation and showing no mercy to her foes.
We thought it hopeless, that our world was doomed, our very way of life expunged. But then refugees began spreading rumors of seeing something new fighting the Dark Queens forces, speaking of great metal golems tearing through the monstrous beasts she commanded. That they used weapons of great and terrible magic, that metal things flew around in the sky and rained death upon their enemies.
Of course, our leaders dismissed such claims, till we all saw it with our own eyes. It was a great and terrible battle, one of the last, and we were losing. Our forces were just beginning to rout when the first shot came from the sky. It fell upon the enemy like an arrow from the gods and the ground shuddered under its impact. And then came the metal birds, the great beasts with talons of fire as they screamed across the sky, raking the ground with death and fiery death. But the great metal dragon that followed was something to behold.
It had no wings, only a great body bristling with spikes all over. It roared, the sound deafening as it split the air, and from its spikes came destruction in two forms. Great booms and explosions tore up the ground beneath our enemies feet, sending their mangled corpses flying in every direction. But that wasn’t all. The great metal dragon dropped its own eggs upon the battlefield, each one impacting hard and splitting open to unleash creatures of metal and magic.
Many did not use swords like we did, but carried strange wands that spat fire at the beasts of Xarrekai, blowing limbs and armor off in equal measure. They seemed unstoppable, unrelenting and our forces stopped to witness the spectacle. In but an hour, the beasts lay dead and the golems returned to their eggs, which magically sealed up and returned to the great metal dragon. We knew not what had happened, but it would not be the last time we saw them.
Countless battles were fought, each one with the aid of this great dragon, who we beseeched with prayer and adulations to lend its strength to our honorable cause. It never spoke to us, but it never turned on us either.
It was the eve of winter when the final battle came. With the dragons help we had pushed Xarrekai’s forces back to her fortress, cleansed the corruption thoroughly wherever it may be found and prepared for the final assault. And it was here we learned that the great dragon had more surprises in store for us, for her.
Instead of just the golems we had been fighting alongside, we all bore witness to the introduction of great walking beasts, whose backs bore the weight of a mighty weapon. It moved ponderously, much like a turtle might. But for all its slowness, it was a terrible beast of war indeed. Its magic reached great distances and upon impact it shattered fortifications like they were made of little more than glass. As the beasts advanced, so to did the golems, and from the sky came more of those metal birds.
But the most startling thing was the appearance of yet more dragons, who disgorged their young into the fray and sought to bring an end to our most hated enemy.
One in particular, a golem which wielded a blazing sword and who seemed to direct the other golems, met the Dark Queen face to face. Her magics would not work upon it, only the attacks of the physical domain could hope to defeat it. But though her strikes were brutal and terrifying, the golem stood firm. The battle was fierce, their strikes sure and devastating. But in the end, the golem was struck down, a great talon through its chest. Most startling though was the discovery that it could bleed, a rich red lifeblood spilled from the wound. Xarrekai gloated, professing her victory before the magic which animated this golem had even fully fled it. It was her undoing. With one last great effort, the golem raised its mighty blade and sank it deep into her vile heart.
With a scream so piercing it shattered the windows of homes miles away, the dark energies which gave her life were released. Golem and mortal alike fled, racing the destruction her death brought. But it was over, it was done, we needn’t fear any longer. We praised the great dragons that had come to our aid, offered them the riches of our realms, but they did not accept. Their task was done, the corruption cleansed, and so they vanished without a word, but not before collecting what was theirs.
Thousands of years have passed since that fateful day, though the scrolls are held in high regard, many do not believe such aid came to us. Instead, many believe that it was we who were solely responsible for the Dark Queens demise. But I, Myriil Chaeralei, believe it to be true. That everything happened precisely as the scrolls said they did. And I will find the proof of this.
In ancient times the sight of the final battle was rife with magical hazards, so deadly in fact that the entire area was sealed off to prevent the civilian populace from accidentally or intentionally killing themselves. The magical wards remain, but I am a royal historian and so my credentials should allow me to pass unmolested. It’s a risk for sure, one that could quite possibly lead to my death. But it’s a risk I am more than willing to take.
As I stepped up to the mighty and very visible magical barriers, my pointed ears quivered with anticipation and I stepped forwards, feeling the slightest of tingles against the tip of my nose as I passed through the barrier with ease, my hunch about royal credentials holding up. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable painful death that awaited me, and yet it didn’t come.
Instead of death, I found life. A few thousand years has a way of burying things and encouraging other things to grow over that which was buried. Such was the case here. This great battleground, supposedly scarred and pitted by the great magics of the dragons and their strange offspring, was now little more than a field of softly rolling hills covered with flowers. At a glance nobody would ever think a battle had taken place, that countless lives had been snuffed out or that their blood had soaked the earth for days on end.
Luckily for me, I fancied myself as something of an archaeologist, so this would pose no issue to me at all. I spent weeks digging, searching for any sort of sign of the battle that had taken place. And all I found was nothing but dirt, dirt and more dirt. My patience began to wear thin, till one day my shovel struck something that was certainly not dirt. My heart raced, and I dug feverishly with my bare hands, fr fear that somehow my shovel might damage whatever it was that I’d found.
And oh what a find it was. It was some sort of door made of metal, with strange markings upon its front. The door was slightly ajar, old plant growth had forced it open at some point and that was perfect for me, as I used the shovel to leverage the door open further. Beyond it was a dark passage, one so dark that even my superior elvish eyesight could not pierce. It called to me, and I answered, venturing down into the darkness, my bag bouncing on my hip and a torch in my hand.
It descended for what felt like miles, down stairs of metal, the walls and ceiling the same as the floor. Nothing but metal. I saw more of those strange markings, knowing for a fact that they must have been words but their meaning eluded me. And then the passage leveled out and I stepped into a great cavern.
It was here that I found my proof.
At the cavern's center sat a citadel of flesh and bone, the former desiccated and long rotten. Around my feet lay the bones of the dead. Elf, dwarf, halfling, orc, it mattered not, bones were bones, and they had all died fighting. I even spotted the remains of golems and their crawling beasts, the metal birds lay strewn in pieces here and there. But what really sold it was the bones of the beasts that had served Xarrekai. Many were shattered and broken, others clearly having killed their foes even as they died, their bodies mingling with the others.
I walked through the battlefield, recording everything I saw in a fresh journal. It was all so much, to walk amongst my ancestors and see their struggles with my very own eyes. But something caught my eye, a structure that was not like the citadel. It was like the massage I had passed through, made of metal and bearing those same markings. As much as I wished to explore the dead citadel, I went to this other structure first.
It was alive still, or so it seemed. It hummed softly, and the doors opened for me upon approach. Within it was considerably dusty, but then again I expected that, not like anyone had been down here to clean in the last thousand years after all. I found bodies, strange ones. Their bones were much like an elf’s yet they seemed as sturdy as the bones of a dwarf. The similarities were something to record, and the old but still well preserved clothing was strange too. Yet another thing to make a note of.
As I passed some sort of pedestal, it lit up with magic, and a figure appeared. A woman with dark skin, an elf! I was ecstatic at first as I looked upon this elf made of light and magic, but then I noticed her ears. They were rounded, not long and pointed like my own. This was confusing, but then she spoke and the language she used was unlike anything I had ever heard before, which only cemented the fact that she was not elvish.
She spoke at great length and though I did not understand her, I was enraptured. Now and then she would raise a hand, an image painted with such exquisite attention to detail appearing. She showed me things, thousands of the great dragons flying through a dark void filled with twinkling lights, facing down the very same corruption they had fought here. But there was something different about it, the corruption had forms much like their own, great dragons of flesh and bone that spit acids and barbs where the metal dragons unleashed fire. The battles were more vicious than any we had experienced, and I felt myself grow pale at the thought of the war these dragons, these people must have waged against the corruption.
In time, the woman finished her tale, and her tone grew sincere. She said something, motioning towards the pedestal before me. From it slid a strange disk of metal and glass, and she seemingly beseeched me to take it. So I did, taking the tiny disk and placing it in my bag. And that was it, whatever life had remained in this structure now fled, and the room grew dark as she faded from existence.
Now it was time to explore the citadel, and to think on what little I had learned. I strode the ruined halls of the great fortress, the source of the corruption. Even here I found the remains of valiant warriors locked in battle. It did not take me long to reach the central chamber, and I found the great hero itself.
It was like I stood there at the very moment it had happened. Its metal body gleamed, the sword still crackled with energy and it was embedded firmly in the chest of the Dark Queen, who stood rigid, desiccated, but very much dead, her lips twisted into a snarl of anger and agony.
I felt the need to kneel before the hero, the slayer of corruption. But I resisted, instead walking up to them both and getting a closer look. Not even a speck of dust lay upon the hero, whose chest had been run through by a claw of considerable size. From the wound I could see the dark stains of blood, or something similar.
I took so many sketches of the scene, taking note of every little detail, marking or curiosity that caught my eye. I knew many would not believe me if I did not bring some form of truth, and so I pondered what else besides the disk I should bring with me. My gaze settled upon the sword, still firmly gripped in strong metal hands. Yes, that would do.
Oh so carefully I relinquished the hero's grip upon the hilt, and when the last digit uncurled, the weight of the blade made itself known. The form of Xarrekai turned to dust as the sword fell to the ground with a resounding clang. Picking it up proved to be a trifle more difficult than I had been expecting, but thankfully the magic which had flowed along the blade was no longer present.
Within the week I had finished documenting my find and returned home to the capital, where I was to present myself to the King and the other historians. I could not wait to see the look on the naysayers' faces when I presented proof.
The night before my audience was to take place, I held the disk in my palm, looking it over and searching for a way to use my mana to turn it own, to activate the enchantments it held. Nothing I did work, and so I went to return it to my bag, only to feel something scrape against my skin and draw blood. I thought perhaps I had just caught myself on some sharp edge and so paid it little attention beyond tending to the small cut.
Morning came quickly, and I now find myself before his majesty and the historians, many of which look unhappy to be here. I’d show them, then I would have the satisfaction of seeing their jealousy.
“Your majesty, honored peers, I have found the site of the final battle as it was written in the ancient scrolls and histories of our peoples!” I announce, and the king looks intrigued, but I hear the soft snorts of derision from my peers.
“And I take it you have proof of this yes?” The king spoke, the others rolling their eyes.
“Certainly, my king. My first item as proof is this,” And I hoist the heavy sword off my back, wrapped up in thick cloth to preserve it. Going down to one knee I lay it over my thigh and unwrap it, revealing the gleaming silver blade and the winged guard. The blade shimmers and the room goes quiet. My peers are suddenly taking this more seriously I see. “I present the blade which felled Xarrekai, taken from the very hand of the golem which slew her.” I rise, and approach the king, presenting the blade to him. He takes it, marveling at the weight and size of it, as well as the exquisite artistry.
“My second item as proof of my claims, is this!” And I reveal the disk. My peers lean forwards, trying to get a better look. I grin, and am about to hand it to the king even as he hands the sword over to the others when something jolts me. It felt like a brief static shock, and as a result I lose control of the disk, watching it tumble to the ground in slow motion. Even as I scramble to grab it, I know I will not be able to.
But instead of shattering upon impact, it snapped itself flat to the ground and began to glow in a pulsing manner. Before the very same woman appeared before us. She faces the king and the historians, smiling in that pleasant manner of hers.
But when she speaks, I know something has changed. She speaks in our tongue, and we all learn of the terrible war that was fought in a realm beyond our own. Of the Thet’ath, who was the corruption we had faced, an alien species bent on consuming all things. Of the Terran Empire, who had stood against them to the enemy had been driven from their voidborne shores. And then of their discovery that the enemy was not truly defeated, but had fled to our world.
We learned of their campaign to save us all, the might of their armies brought to bear one last time. We learned of the rift between our worlds which had been bridged, a bridge which would not last forever. Our great war had ended, and the Terrans returned to their realm just as the bridge fell, separating us once more.
But that was not all, just as she reached the end of her tale, she said something that gave me hope for the future.
“We may be separated by the barriers raised between dimensions. But know this. We will not stop trying to reach you, to learn about you and to help you grow to your fullest potential. Already our greatest minds are building a portal to provide a stable bridge between our worlds, but it cannot work without a counterpart on your side. Enclosed within this device are the plans for your part of the bridge. We do not expect you to complete it immediately, or perhaps ever. But should you, we will be waiting. Should that day come, know that humanity will welcome you with open arms and open hearts. For now, however, know that humanity is proud to have fought and bled at your side. Till we meet again, friends.”
submitted by In_Yellow_Clad to HFY [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 17:03 subredditsummarybot Your weekly /r/BeatsNRhymes roundup for the week of May 27 - June 02

Saturday, May 27 - Friday, June 02

New Videos

score comments title & link mirrors
7 1 comments [New Video] Fly Anakin - Things Change feat. Demae [Sp] [AM] [BC] [SC]
5 0 comments [New Video] Rasheed Chappell - Show You How
3 0 comments [New Video] Ransom - Rise Of the Machines [Official Video] Directed by George "G Town" Rodriguez
 

New Songs

score comments title & link mirrors
7 2 comments [New] Eto x V Don - OATH OF OMERTÁ [Official Audio] [AM] [Dzr]
3 0 comments [New] Grafh and KXNG Crooked – Chew Em Up
3 0 comments [New] Planet Asia x 38 Spesh ft. A Plus Tha Kid & The Musalini - Upscale
3 0 comments [New] kurious - Tis the Season
 

Classic

score comments title & link mirrors
8 3 comments [Classic] Boogie Down Productions - My Philosophy (Extended Version) [Sp] [AM] [Dzr] [SC]
7 1 comments [Classic] Big L - Flamboyant (May 30, 1974 – February 15, 1999)🕯️ [Sp] [AM] [Dzr] [SC]
6 1 comments [Classic] MC Shan - MC Space [Sp] [AM] [Dzr] [SC]
4 0 comments [Classic] EPMD - You Gots To Chill (1988 Fresh/Sleeping Bag)
2 0 comments [Classic] DJ Hot Day with Super Kids - Go Queensbridge
 

Interviews

score comments title & link mirrors
6 0 comments [Interview] Conway the Machine Interview - Juan Ep is Life
 

Freestyle

score comments title & link mirrors
6 1 comments [Freestyle] Nickelus F, Noah-O, Koncept Jack$on, Henny Lo, Radio B, Zuri, Micheal Millions, RICHMOND, VA Cypher 1
 

Live

score comments title & link mirrors
6 1 comments [live] T La Rock and Mantronix - Breaking Bells (Live In London) [Sp] [SC]
 

BeatsNRhymes

score comments title & link mirrors
8 0 comments [BeatsNRhymes] MEYHEM LAUREN featuring SEAN PRICE - 'GROWN MAN PALETTES'
7 1 comments [BeatsNRhymes] Matt Maddox - Free Reign feat. Tone Spliff prod. by Nohokai [Sp] [AM]
7 0 comments [BeatsNRhymes] Tragedy Khadafi ft. Starvin B & Royal Flush - Lazarus Pit [SC]
6 2 comments [BeatsNRhymes] Nas - Queensbridge Politics (Prod. by Pete Rock) [Sp] [AM] [Dzr] [SC]
5 0 comments [BeatsNRhymes] Nowaah The Flood & El Maryacho - Keep Teaching
 

RiddemNVibes

score comments title & link mirrors
3 0 comments [RiddemNVibes] Junior Reid - Jail House & Prince Jammy - Crowning Of Prince Jammy [SC]
3 0 comments [RiddemNVibes] Scientist - Upper Cut
3 1 comments [RiddemNVibes] Barrington Levy - Na Broke No Fight Over Woman [Sp] [AM] [Dzr] [SC]
 

beats

score comments title & link mirrors
4 0 comments [Beats] Black Milk - Is It Just Me?
 

Throwback

score comments title & link mirrors
7 1 comments [Throwback] Erick Sermon - Stay Real [Sp] [BC] [Dzr] [SC]
6 1 comments [Throwback] Mobb Deep - Street Life [AM] [SC]
5 0 comments [Throwback] The UMC's - Swing It To The Area
4 0 comments [Throwback] Eric B & Rakim - Untouchables
4 0 comments [Throwback] Wake Up Show Anthem '94 - Ras Kass, Lauryn Hill, Nas, Pharoahe Monch, Prince Po, Saafir, Shyheim, Chino XL, Dred Scott
 

Bombin

score comments title & link mirrors
4 0 comments [Bombin] Teenagers From Uranus - Serf, Mint, Goal, Lions, Host18, Katsu, Resk, Rate Tv, Tonek, Dr.Sex, etc..
 

Fact

score comments title & link mirrors
7 0 comments [Hip Hop Fact] Boogie Down Productions Released Their Second LP 'By All Means Necessary' 35 Years Ago
 

Top Remaining

score comments title & link mirrors
5 0 comments [BeatsNRhymes] Willie The Kid Feat. Action Bronson - Cork Fee
5 1 comments [BeatsNRhymes] V DON x eto – Influence (feat. Willie The Kid)
5 1 comments [BeatsNRhymes] Black Moon - Ease Back feat. Method Man & General Steele [Sp] [AM] [SC]
4 0 comments [BeatsNRhymes] XP The Marxman, DJ Rhettmatic & D-Styles - Get At A God
4 1 comments [BeatsNRhymes] BudaMunk & ILL Conscious - Fislisbach [Sp] [AM] [BC]
 
submitted by subredditsummarybot to BeatsNRhymes [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 17:02 maximusaemilius Human and their alien partners fight for the right to have interspecies relationships.

He had expected this sooner rather than later, and it hurt to see.
He knew it wasn't going to work.
The Galactic Assembly was full of aliens, not humans. The things that got humanity's attention were the same sort of things that tended to scare the GA.
But of course, the average human couldn't have known that, and with their tendency to change creatures around them to become more human, the aliens with which they worked didn't see it either.
They were doing the right thing, but going about it the wrong way.
Still, that didn't stop his feelings of sadness and empathy for their plight.
Walking with Sunny, standing on the buddy pegs attached to her back, and examining the protest encampment around him, he couldn't help but be impressed by their bravery.
He knew for a fact that if he was in their shoes, he would be way more likely to hide, lie to everyone around him, and even himself.
But here they were out in the open, a shining beacon of defiance against the GA.
It was a difficult situation, of course he supported the GA wholeheartedly, and he always would, and with that support came an understanding.
But that didn't mean that he had to agree with them.
They were scared.
And people tend to lash out at things that scare them.
As it turns out, that seemed to be a common factor across the galaxy.
He reached down, hand caressing the tear gas canisters at his belt and the accompanying gas mask. He prayed, just PRAYED that he wouldn't have to use them, but how was he to know what would happen. When people got righteously angry about something they tended to act up, and when thrown into a group of like-minded people, the pack mentality was overwhelming.
He wanted everything to go well, he wanted them to make their point, to prove that they were the moral superiors, demonstrate to the GA that they weren't militant, and all they wanted was peace.
That was the sort of thing that would get across to the GA.
But with humans involved... He didn't really have much hope.
He glanced around at the assembled tents, looking for any sign of trouble.
He didn't see much, just the limp white flags, with the LFIL logo printed proudly on their front.
Still keeping an eye on his surroundings, he leaned against one of Sunny's shoulders.
"So, what do you think about this whole thing?"
Sunny turned her head to look at him, gold eyes and blue carapace glittering with the yellow sheen of the Rundi sky.
She shrugged, setting him a little off balance. She grabbed his feet to steady him as she continued up a small incline.
"It doesn't bother me, and I suppose I understand them."
"Oh?"
"Imagine finding someone you connect with, someone who understands you more than anyone ever has. Imagine a Drev finding the greatest warrior in the galaxy, and then... Just having to suffer knowing you can never be with them. Granted none of the other species ever would have considered it an option without the humans, but now.... It makes sense. You connect with someone well enough, then beyond that there isn't much you can do. And now the GA has prohibited that."
"I agree with you completely, but let me play devil's advocate for a moment. They aren't even the same species, without the same genetics. It wouldn't be physically possible to produce a viable offspring wouldn’t it?”
She turned her head to look at him.
"And how does it work for your brother David and his husband Jordan?"
He laughed,
"Ok, ok, poor question."
"Adoption is a relevant option. Plus, this is coming from the guy who lent his DNA to some alien."
"Arguably she stole it, but I get your point."
They turned another corner scanning the crowd,
"Hear me out though. Humans are... Well, you know how humans are. They need... uhhm uhhh you know…”
Adam got a little red,
”…Affection and intimacy... How does that even... Work?"
"Oh, I am sure some human has found a way, besides, humans and Drev aren't so different in that regard..."
He tilted his head to look at her,
"How the hell do you know that?”
"Got into a discussion with Krill. He thinks it's possible, though he would never tell you humans. He already thinks you do a ton of stupid stuff anyway."
”Oh really what is he expecting? I don’t think anyone from our crew would jump at the opportunity to do it with a Drev be it man or woman… Besides with all these tall as hell Drev males, human women wouldn’t have much fun either would they?”
”Considering males who would be interested, aren’t you good friends with Ramirez? Why don’t you ask him, maybe he knows someone?”
”Okay damn fair point… but the female argument still stays.”
”Krill did some research, I swear I never saw him so… done with humans. He looked like he would drink away his sorrow to forget everything… if his body could tolerate alcohol.”
”So what did he find out about this time?”
”After another particularly massive aggressive rant about how and I quote “shitting freaking goddamn incredibly punk-ass weird” you humans are, he said some weird words in a context I didn’t understand. So, do you know what a dragon is and can you tell me why it is so bad?”
”Hmm what… wait a second…”
”…”
”Oh shit…”
”So?”
"So uhmmm uhhh, let’s stop with humans and talk about Drev again okay? Don't you Drev guys also have a mating season?”*
"We did, but it was actually based on the magnetic fluctuation of our planet in time with the seasons. Now that we don't have that anymore, things are out of whack."
"Huh, I didn't know that."
"You never asked."
"Because that is a totally normal thing to ask someone. Hello, my name is Adam, and I am actually very curious about how... That stuff... works on your planet."
"That stuff, huh?"
He rolled his eyes,
"I was sheltered ok, give me a break."
They came to a stop at a crossroads, and Adam stepped down from her back and onto the dirt, tilting his head to listen, trying to detect any signs of a disturbance.
As of yet there was nothing.
He turned to the left, down another line of tents, passing into a more populated area of the protest encampment.
People wearing specially made clothing, with the LFIL logo, shirts, scarves, bandannas, jackets, hats etc. etc. walked about, openly with their alien companions, a few even brave enough to show overt affection towards each other.
A human hugging a Tesraki, while another stood on a box to kiss the cheek of their Drev partner.
"Now that, is something I couldn't do."
He said to Sunny, as they walked past.
"Kiss someone?"
"No, Kiss someone three to four feet taller than me. Way too much work."
"How do you know, maybe climbing up three feet would be worth it?”
Eyes followed them nervously as they walked past, their riot gear marking them as “the enemy”.
"I would rather not be in danger of twisting my ankle every time I wanted to show someone affection, thanks."
"You twist your ankle all the time anyway."
"That's my point. If I twist my ankle now, imagine what would happen if I had to do acrobatics on a regular basis."
They came to a halt as a group of protesters paraded in front of them holding up picket signs.
One of the protesters turned to glare at him,
"We aren't doing anything illegal!”
Adam held up his hands,
"I know. I'm just security to make sure no one gets hurt.”
The other human didn't seem convinced, angrily grabbing their alien companion around the waist before marching off.
The Tesraki looked uncomfortable, looking back at them apologetically.
Though Tesraki were generally cutthroat businessmen, they tended towards extreme submissiveness in relationships with humans.
Adam stepped through the gap left by the protesters and continued walking.
As they did, they early ran into a group of kids selling little white flags and bandannas.
They pulled to a halt, eyes widening in surprise and shock.
A young Tesraki pulled to a halt with them looking as if he was about to panic and run off.
However, the kid at the front's eyes widened and a big smile crossed his face,
“Holy shit! You, I know you!"
Adam smiled,
"You do now?"
"Yeah , yeah you're in that movie. You, you command the UNSC fleet."
For some reason, that exclamation calmed the other kids, and they squealed, shouting and asking for a picture. Of course, he was happy to oblige, posing with them for their pictures. Sunny stood to the side, happy to watch though she was dragged in for the next set of pictures once they realized who she was.
"What are you doing here?"
One of them asked, glancing down at his clothing. When she saw what he was wearing her smile was falling,
"You... aren't here to stop us, are you?"
Adam shook his head,
"No, of course not, protesting isn't illegal."
He motioned to Sunny with his other hand,
"Sunny and I are just here to make sure that you guys stay safe, and that no one gets hurt.”
Sunny nodded. One of the more skeptical looking teens looked up at him,
"How do we know you aren't here to stop us. You work for the GA after all."
Adam shrugged,
"I don't have much else to prove, other than my word."
The skeptic looked at them, a wicked smile appearing on her face,
"I know."
She reached into her cart and pulled out one of the bandannas,
"Wear this!”
It was clear she expected him to balk at the idea, but to her surprise, he smiled,
"Alright, sounds reasonable."
He held out his arm, and watched, still smiling as she tied it around his upper arm still glowering at him skeptically,
"Think you can spare one for my big friend?"
He patted Sunny on the arm.
That broke her skepticism, and she smiled openly, handing a second one over to him, which he tied around one of Sunny's upper arms.
He waved a goodbye to them, and stepped back up onto Sunny's back, walking away with her.
"That was nice of you."
He shrugged,
”Not really. I honestly agree with them. The GA has no right to tell them who they can and cannot be with. I know they have some reasons, but I feel like there is a better way of dealing with it."
Sunny hummed deep in her throat,
"Uh-huh, or you really just want a really tall girlfriend."
He sighed,
"Honestly I'd settle for any size girlfriend if I could just talk to her like a normal person without sticking my foot in my mouth. No Maverick and Dr. Katie do not count…"
"Your incompetence with women is acrobatic."
"I'm glad you're impressed.”
Together, they continued their slow circle around the encampment, drawing suspicious and confused eyes as they went. Sometimes they were recognized, and occasionally people would ask to take pictures with them, other times, they just wanted to talk.
The variety of people was... astounding.
A barely five foot human with a nine foot Drev.
A group of humans and a group of Tesraki.
A lawyer and a Finnari.
Two couples both as business partners with a Tesraki half.
They were young and old male-female, in all different pairings.
Old soldiers, and young students.
It was honestly quite stunning.
At one point they stopped off for water and ran into a massive bodybuilder with his Drev girlfriend, whose carapace at any other time would have marked her as ugly for a Drev.
At first Sunny felt bad for her, with her muddy brown carapace, mat without any shine.
The man turned and handed Adam some water.
”Here better stay hydrated brother!”
Adam raised the bottle,
"Thanks."
The man looked him over, eyeing the bandanna around his arm.
"Interesting accessories for a GA affiliate."
"You can work for someone and disagree with them."
The man laughed,
"I suppose that's true."
He greeted Sunny as well, who was trying not to stare at the other female Drev for too long, lest it seem like she was staring.
He motioned to the arm band,
"Supporter, or-"
His eyes flicked between Adam and Sunny.
"We're just here to make sure everyone stays safe."
Off to the side the mat Drev looked at Sunny,
"I'm sorry."
Sunny glanced over at her nervously,
"Sorry for what?"
"You must have been treated very poorly on Anum."
Sunny shuffled her feet awkwardly,
"I was alright I guess..."
"Regardless. I hope things work out for you. The Drev beauty standards are unfair, and things need to change."
Sunny wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to feel about that.
"They aren't so bad."
She ventured defensively.
"Then I am sure you are getting combat offers left and right with your coloring.”
Sunny went quiet again. She would have said this was passive aggressive, but the Drev didn't do passive aggressive, so was this just an open statement about how ugly she was? If that was the case, it kind of hurt.
"I have, because I am an experienced warrior."
Her voice was cold.
"Oh, so where is your partner?"
"I turned them down."
That seemed to surprise the female Drev.
Sunny felt her fists clench, but Adam placed a hand on her arm. She was quiet,
The two humans exchanged a look, the way that only humans can, speaking without actually saying anything.
”C’mon babe, lets look a little bit around and let these two be… It was nice meeting you brother! Also… good luck man…”
The human bodybuilder turned around, taking the Drev by one of her hands to lead her away.
Adam took Sunny by the arm and raised his water at the man,
"Uhm what? Huh anyway, good luck to you too?"
Before turning to walk away, the other Drev cut in at the last second.
"I hope you find a worthy battle partner."
Adam Squeezed Sunny's arm tighter, but she turned her head anyway snapping,
"I already have."
Before marching off without another word.
Adam was forced to scamper after her, his legs much shorter.
"Wow, wow, hold your horses!”
She finally slowed to a stop, still fuming.
"Who the hell does she think she is!?”
"Sunny-."
"Calling me ugly to my face!"
"Sunny-"
"I should have challenged her to a duel right then and there!"
"Sunny!?”*
She turned to look at him,
"What!?"
He climbed back up on her back, patting her shoulder,
"She was obviously just insecure and jealous. I mean come on, look at you, blue is the rarest color in the galaxy and most attractive for a Drev, and we all know that height is the least important attribute of Drev beauty standards. The better you can fight, the more you make up for it, besides it's not her fault that she can't accept someone as being valid unless they are in a pair."
Sunny grunted. He frowned,
"Speaking of which, coming from her it seems like a double standard. You fight with me, and I'm fucking awesome, so by default you have to be too."
"Wow Adam, you really know how to make a person feel better."
"I know."
[…]
They were crossing back to the other side of the encampment, when they ran into some familiar faces.
Ramirez and Maverick appeared from the crowd, waving the two of them down with greeting hands.
They pulled to a stop, and the commander motioned to the white bandanna on Ramirez's arm,
"Nice accessories."
"I like yours too."
"I didn't know you were a supporter?”
Ramirez laughed,
"Man I am a supporter of whatever the hell people want to do with themselves."
Off to his side Maverick had tied one of the white bandannas to her belt.
"And you?”
"Personally, I don't give a shit. I don't even think it should be an issue, but by banning it, the GA created a problem for themselves and took away the freedom of choice for these people. Even if I did disagree with what they are doing, I would still support their ability to make that choice for themselves."
She tugged on the bandanna,
"But hey, would I be wearing this otherwise?”
The commander nodded his head, surprised and pleased at his men for being so open minded, though he supposed it should make sense. They worked with aliens every day. Where others might have fostered a sense of fear based on unfamiliarity, they had experience.
"Let’s just hope this all goes over well tomorrow. I don't want to have to use any of this."
He motioned down to his gear.
The commander sighed.
"Isn't that like the catch 22 thing?”
Loyal to one side.
Sympathetic to the other.
Empathetic to both.
He would be relieved when it was finally fixed.
Though how he could help was beyond him.
[...]
"Please everyone, calm yourselves. The Galactic Assembly is addressing the issue as we speak."
The crowd roiled and churned like the bubbles in a pot of boiling water. Flags waved and voices rose high into the air.
The chanting increased in fervor.
"Please!"
The Rundi struggled to raise his voice high enough to be heard over the crowd, who only grew with strength and intensity.
Commander Vir keyed his mic,
"Delta units to the GA side of the crowd, some of these protesters are looking extremely agitated. Let's make sure they don't do anything we're all going to regret.”
He stood with his back to the GA chambers, its wide arching courtyard devoid of life, except for those unfortunate Rundi ordered to carry messages from one side of the compound to the other, otherwise they tried to keep their distance from the front facade of the building and the churning mass of protesters.
White flags waved and fluttered.
Commander Vir held the energy shield with one arm, pressing it back firmly against the crowd, so they could not pass the dedicated marking point.
"Commander, the crowd over here is getting violent."
He grimaced and reached a hand down to open the line,
"Stun them and let them calm down, do NOT catch anyone else in the crossfire. We do not want this escalating."
"Yes sir."
Something pushed against his shield and he grunted, pushing back.
The white bandanna on his arm was pressed against the clear blue force field and helped to at least confuse the crowd before them.
And luckily, they would be kept too confused to get violent.
The aliens among the human protesters helped as well.
If this was on earth, things would have broken out into a riot by now, but the Drev the Tesraki and the Finnari tended to be more levelheaded when it came to these kinds of things, and they managed to reign in their humans from doing something stupid.
He closed his eyes tight for a second, praying that the GA would rethink their position.
It hurt him to watch these people struggle like this.
It just felt so strange that anyone should be here in the first place.
Beside him, Sunny had taken control of two young humans who were getting a bit more than rowdy,
"Let’s keep this a protest, and not a riot."
She growled, giving them a look that would have made anyone quell in their boots. It sort of made him half smile, Sunny was such a badass, he wanted to be more like her when he eventually grew up.
His thoughts were cut off, as the crowd churned a bit, pressing into his shield.
He keyed his mic again, prepared to go over the loudspeaker and tell them that if they didn't calm down he was going to turn this protest into a mass nap time.
He had the power to do that if things got out of hand, though he honestly didn't want to.
The GA needed to see this.
He was so preoccupied with the crowd, that he barely noticed as the Rundi ran up from the inside of the compound, flying forward on its long spindly legs.
It stopped by the first Rundi to say something, and the conversation that passed between them didn't look particularly encouraging.
HIs heart sank into his stomach.
He felt... Surprisingly disappointed, very sad for all those people who were going to get their day ruined.
The Rundi waffled around at the front of the crowd for a bit before turning and looking over to where he stood.
Oh great.
The Rundi walked over, and he backed off from the crowd, allowing Sunny to take a step in his place with her shield at the ready.
The people looked as if they were about to start something, but seeing her expression, they decided not to.
He dropped his shield and lowered his head to hear the Rundi over the roaring of the crowd.
"The GA is not budging."
The Rundi whispered,
"They are asking the protesters to leave."
Adam growled in frustration.
Behind him someone in the crowd pointed at him,
"They're saying no aren't they!?”
Others took up the call, and soon enough the rest of the crowd had been alerted. Adam was forced to run back to support Sunny, as everything suddenly grew more intense.
Fights were breaking out on the left and the right.
People were hitting the ground as the guards were forced to stun them.
That only agitated the rest of the crowd who also began to buck and fight.
Adam keyed the mic for real this time, filling the intervening space with his booming voice,
”ALL OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF RIGHT NOW OR I WILL STUN YOU ALL."
The aggression in the crowd died down, though the anger remained sizzling at the surface.
Overhead clouds passed over the sun, before him the crowd roared like a wave, and behind him the GA council chambers were as silent as a ghost town.
"LISTEN, QUIET DOWN ALL OF YOU."
It sort of felt as if he was floating.
The world around him hardly seemed real though that was not the best way to explain it.
The crowd died down a bit,
"You may not understand this! And I have said it before, but these are not humans. Protests don't work on them. When they see a group of angry humans, they get scared and when they get scared, they double down even further. I know it does not make any sense to you NOT to protest for what you believe in, but if you are going to do this, you MUST remain civil. Even now the GA is frightened by you. They don't believe you are rational, and they are not going to listen to you if this keeps up."
The crowd had quieted down to a milling sort of confusion.
"Then what should we do!"*
The shouting came from somewhere and in anger, though he couldn't pinpoint the source.
In frustration he nudged Sunny, and she allowed him to climb on her back as he had before.
The crowd could see him now, and he could see them for the most part.
He waved them down trying to cut off the others who had taken up the chant.
"I understand what you are trying to do, and I support your efforts, but you are only hurting ourselves. The GA can only be won by rational discussion."
"The GA won't see any of our representatives. They are debating only on their own facts and opinions."
One of the crowd's people snarled. The call was echoed and Adam stared at them in shock,
"Wait what!? Are you serious?”
There was a muttering throughout the crowd.
"For fuck's sake."
He muttered under his breath,
"The Rudi think none of us are high ranking enough to be allowed into the council chambers, and none of the representatives will take up our cause. The human ambassador thinks we are disgusting, so she won't do anything and says she won’t represent our minority."
The muttering through the crowd grew louder.
Adam looked around, head turning to see all the angry faces, blushed with red, or streaked with tears.
These people were frustrated, and hurt, and he understood why.
This wasn't right!
He closed his eyes again and took another deep breath.
What was he thinking!?
He stepped down from Sunny's back and walked over to one of the protestors in the front row, pointing to his large flag on a pole that was about eight feet tall.
"May I borrow your flag?"
The protester stared on at him in confusion,
"What, why?"
"Because, I am going to give you the representative you need."
[…]
Commander Vir and Sunny walked alone down the length of the GA outer courtyard.
A billowing white flag streamed lazily over his head, suspended there by way of the pole which rested heavily on his shoulder. The white of the fabric had been marred now by many colors as hundreds of rushed signatures had been scrawled on its face.
He was armed with the backing of a thousand protesters, a hundred signatures, and more than a few dozen stories.
Sunny turned her head to look at him, and he fancied that maybe he saw an expression of pride in her eyes, though she didn't say much except,
"Pretty brave."
He didn't feel very brave, and as they walked through the front doors of the GA atrium, his hand was shaking against the cold metal of the flagpole.
He was stopped by a pair of Rundi guards on his way into the chamber, but was let in after they recognized who he was.
He could hear voices up ahead, and the sounds of the protest going on outside had all but died away,
"They have proven that they cannot be civil, and based on the humanizing effect, we can assume they will do similar things to any non-human lifeform that they encounter."
"I may not agree with their decision counselor, but that sounds like your prejudice against humans is seeping through."
There was an uproar in the council chamber.
He paused for a moment, staying with Sunny just out of line of sight and took a deep breath.
She lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Here goes nothing."
He muttered, before stepping his way out onto the GA floor.
At first no one noticed his presence as he made his slow way into the center of the circle, but his large, white flag soon changed that.
The council chambers went silent.
The chairwoman stood,
"Commander, what are you doing here. Shouldn't you be taking care of the protesters?”
His lips drew into a thing line,
"With all due respect councilwoman, I am."
He rammed the flagpole against the stone, sending a loud cracking sound out and around the wide atrium silencing the council,
"I have been made aware that you refuse to see their representatives based on a ranking issue, well I assume my rank is high enough."
The Human rep leaned forward,
"Commander, this is not your place!”
He shot her a look,
"Then whose place is it counselor? I heard a certain democratic counselor refuses to speak for them because they are and I quote “a too small and insignificant minority”…”
He turned his head in a wide arc at the watching crowd,
"Counselors, you have known me, longer than you have known any human currently in this galaxy. You understand that I know your rules and your customs. You understand that I have only ever striven to protect and uphold the GA and the planet's it encompasses. I have thwarted wars, signed treaties, and broken my own body for your best interests."
There was silence about the room.
"Will you let me speak now, with the understanding that my loyalty has never wavered from you, and never will?”
The silence continued.
Aliens understood the power of human loyalty.
Or at least they should…
The chairwoman took a seat,
"Very well, commander."
He lifted his head, feeling his heart slow as he took a few deep breaths. There was a muscle in his face that had begun to twitch, like it always did if he was extremely angry or nervous, but he held it down,
"I understand you are frightened, and I understand that you are confused, but I want you to know first of all that those people outside are good average people. They don't mean you any harm. They are hurting, and they are afraid for themselves, and they are trying to get your attention. Historically, humanity has used protests to right the injustices of government to combat prejudices brought on by one's sex or the color of their skin. You must understand that they see this as an impingement on their happiness and a decision made out of line."
There was a murmur around the room.
"So, I ask you now, that I may, perhaps, answer your questions and ease your worries. Why are you so against them?"
"It's unnatural."
It was the Bran representative that had spoken, and he did it quite emphatically.
"Why?"
The commander asked,
"Because they aren't even the same species."
"So?"
The Bran seemed caught off guard,
"They... It's not natural. They can't reproduce, so it isn't... A thing that should be done."
The commander shrugged,
"So if one can't reproduce then they aren't natural? I see a couple issues in that logic relating to prejudices against people with infertility."
There was a murmur around the room.
"So, they can't reproduce, so what? You know who we can reproduce with though... Adaptids."
There was a sort of hushed exclamation form around the room.
The commander shrugged,
"They can't have kids.... Hardly a good enough argument to bring to the floor of a government discussion."
"What he is trying to say is that this practice equates itself to bestiality. It is utterly disguting!"
It was the human representative this time, and she stared at him with her eyes narrowed in anger.
He kept his cool, though he very much did not like her.
"That is absolutely disgusting and wildly insulting of you because that implies that one or both parties are no better than animals, beasts as you will."
The room was silent,
"So which one is it, are humans animals, counselor, are the Finnari or the Rundi animals?"
He turned to the Drev counselor,
"Are the Drev just dumb animals that have no understanding, and no decision making abilities?”
The Drev representative stood, angrily cracking his spear against the stone,
"We are most certainly not!"
The commander held up his hands,
"Then what is so bestial about it? Bestiality is absolutely disgusting because you are taking advantages of a creature that can neither understand nor protect itself from what you are doing. It cannot say yes, and it cannot say no. It has no greater understanding than that of a child, and so cannot make its own decisions."
He looked towards the Finnari representative,
"Tell me counselor, is your species a species of children, with no greater concept of their own decision making?”
"Of course not. Why would you even imply such a thing!?”
"I imply nothing, counselor. This is what YOU imply with your decision. So far we have established that all parties are intelligent consenting creatures, and none of you have managed to give me an actually good reason for banning the practice."
The floor was growing more agitated.
"They will be a poor example for the rest of the galaxy. If we make it legal others will surely follow."
Adam turned his eyes on the speaker, an Iotin,
"You're worried that they are going to turn the rest of the galaxy extrial?"
He laughed,
"That is a poor argument which is not only selfish, but foolish. People should be allowed to make their own decisions. And assuming you are right, what then? Oh no... There are a few more extrials... And it does... What exactly?"
He turned in a wide circle,
"If you are worried about population growth or in this case population falloff due to this issue then you should be reminded that extrials comprise a percentage of the human population so small that I could fit the greater majority of them on my ship comfortably. This occurrence is not common, and even if the numbers were to rise, it would not be of enough significance to cause issues."
His heart was hammering hard inside his chest. He felt like he was doing alright, but that might mean nothing.
"In any event, these relationships do not affect the vast majority of the galaxy. Humans cannot be with the Bran or the Rundi due to the water we shed from our skin. The Gromm and the Iotins are out for similar reasons. Vrul and Gibb are incapable of having feelings for humans in that way as far as we know, and both the Tvek and the Celzex are too different from humans for either party to be interested."
He walked around in a circle, allowing the flag to trail behind him,
"Furthermore, the humanization phenomenon happens with or without romantic intent, and as it is, its mention is more a mark of prejudice on humans than it is an argument against the two groups being together."
He left the floor open for a little while, as the council muttered with each other.
Finally, the Drev representative stood,
"My species culture and our way of life has been upturned by the GA. I fear relationships with humans will result in the loss of our culture. We have already strayed far from what we originally were. We are hardly recognizable as Drev anymore."
The commander let his voice soften,
"I understand that the Drev have lost a lot in joining this..."
Sunny held up a hand, and in surprise he was cut off.
She took the floor,
"Your Glory…"
She said bowing her head,
"If you would have truly upheld those ideals, you would not be sitting on this council."
The Drev pulled back in surprise at her words,
"Yes, we lost a lot in joining the GA, and after the war, but I would argue that some of that was for good. Before the GA people like me, with perceived imperfection were cast into the fire and perceived as no better than animals. This practice still takes place on our planet, where these traditions are still alive and well."
Her words made the room shift nervously,
"However, culture changes and adapts, and it must to survive. We changed in order to live among the GA. We found other alternatives to fighting that still maintain our honor and our prowess in war, and this includes the sports that the humans have brought to us. Furthermore, the vast majority of the Drev I see who are with humans are those of us who would not be accepted by our own kind, perceived as ugly or malformed. If this is the case then your traditions remain sound, and those like me are removed from the mating population."
The counselor almost looked ashamed at her words, turning his head away so as not to look her in the eyes.
"As far as a change of culture goes, it was bound to happen, and it seems you are more worried about change than you actually are about relationships."
She went quiet, and Adam nodded to her taking the floor again.
A Finnari counselor stood,
"I am simply worried about our birth rate. The Finnari were farmed by the Gnarlak for many years, and we are only now replenishing our population."
"I don't think you need to worry. The amount of relationships is so small that it will not affect the Finnari population in any significant manner."
The chairwoman stood,
"Your arguments have been heard commander, but, what the others do not mention is the issue of disease. We have seen a great increase of human transmitted illnesses."
"I hate to cut you off chairwoman, but that is NOT related to interspecies relationships, it has another explanation: human tourism."
"Explain."
"You all know that humans are not allowed to leave their planet, unless tested for all communicable non-treatable diseases. This means that those of us that you see here cannot physically pass our diseases off onto other people. In this case these issues did not stem from relationships at all, but poor vaccination, the poor regulation of tourism, and allowing aliens to travel onto earth where infected humans are located, not testing them as they leave. You see? You don't even have problems with them, but you are using them as a real scapegoat for the actual issues. In fact you are causing more problems by banning this! The more you push, the harder they will push back, eventually someone is going to get hurt. Also since they are not allowed to be together legally, they do it illegally, and because they do it illegally, they end up in dangerous places exposed to greater rates of crime. They get hurt, and they get involved in things they would otherwise not have gotten involved in if you had not banned it. Just look at Noctoplis. It has the highest rate of extrials living there and the lowest policing force and the most corrupted system. There are no legitimate jobs there, so we see an influx of crime by desperate people who won't be accepted anywhere else. Not to mention that it increased the depression rates, which increases suicide rates. Your laws have ostracized them, forced them to become criminals, and turned many of them to killing themselves, rather than living in a world where they are seen as disgusting."
He had to take a deep breath,
"Earth has seen all of this before, and one way or another, eventually someone will see what I am trying to say."
He rested the flag on the floor beside him, feet planted at shoulder width.
"I hope that this rational conversation will allow a more open mind on the council. I encourage you to talk to their representatives. They are more rational and educated than I am, and they can give you hard facts and statistics. But please, they don't want to cause trouble, if you allow them to do as they will, you might find these problems going away for you."
The human representative clearly did not seem convinced, but he didn't expect to convince her, he expected to convince the others who were more afraid than they were prejudiced.
"It seems as if we have some other potential policies to discuss, commander."
The chairwoman said, tapping her fingers on the table before her.
"I have a suggestion, ma'am."
"And that is?"
"A temporary revocation on the ban, that way you can SEE what the universe will be like without it, and you can judge for yourself whether The ban does any good. You don't have to overturn the law just yet, but temporarily suspend it, that way you can re institute at any time. Then you will have concrete proof. You can do testing, and polls and whatever else, then you would know for sure."
His suggestion turned into a discussion, that dragged on for many minutes before the chairwoman raised her hand,
"It has been decided, all in favor of this temporary proposal please indicate."
The voting lights flashed above them.
[…]
He walked from the venue, hours after he had entered.
The flag felt heavy in his hands, his boots thudded with exhaustion on the white marble below him.
Outside, the protest field was surprisingly silent, though he could still see their flags.
As he walked closer, he could see that the crowd was sitting down.
Their voices reached him from a distance at first, until he realized they were calmly singing with each other.
Waiting...
Suddenly the first people from the crowd noticed the two silhouettes coming from the chambers towards them.
A lone man and Drev, walking from the building.
The man was wearing riot gear, a full helmet, a shield, and carrying their flag, resting against his right shoulder.
The group of them began to stand, rising to their feet and yelling.
They quieted as he got closer.
"What did they say!? What did they say!?”
He passed the flag to the original protester who looked on at him with such an expression of pleading that he felt his eyes tingle a bit with rising emotion.
He had to look away, boosting himself onto Sunny's back, keying his mic.
The crowd was silent.
"I spoke to the GA. After a long debate, and a slim majority the GA have decided to temporarily revoke the ban on inter-species relationships until a-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence, drowned out by a powerful wave of noise and joy so overwhelming that he was nearly knocked backwards off his feet.
The crowd surged forward and Sunny staggered as the group surrounded them.
Adam found himself on the ground on his feet, enclosed by hundreds of pairs of arms, as every person tried their best to get one hand on him.
He was deafened by cheering and an outpouring of gratitude so profound he had simply never experienced such emotion.
He looked up at Sunny, pressed in with him by the enthusiastic crowd, she nodded her head in approval.
He grinned, he had to admit this felt pretty good.
Though, whether it was all over was a question for another time.
Previous First [Next](link)
Here is the link to the master-post.
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
submitted by maximusaemilius to humansarespaceorcs [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 16:34 lullbobb555 How much do you baby your native plants?

I live in the PA/NJ area, and I've planted this rocky hill with maybe up to 100 plants. It's a variety of plants that are generally deer resistant with medium to low water needs. It has been really dry here for the past few weeks (no rain), and it got up to 95 F yesterday. It's reminding me of the summer we had last year, super dry and hot.
I'm agonizing over the plants and whether I should be watering or if I should let nature take it's course. I usually water plants the first growing season and try to let it fend for itself, but it's depressing to see the plants look so unhappy! I also don't want to be spending so much time watering the plants and worrying about them each summer, ya know? One of the attractive elements to native gardening was the low upkeep/maintenance angle. My wife is trying to convince me to not spend too much time worrying over this -- maybe I should use this as an opportunity to see what plants thrive under hot and dry conditions and plant more of those in the future.
Any thoughts are appreciated, thanks!
submitted by lullbobb555 to NativePlantGardening [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 16:33 maximusaemilius Empyrean Iris: 2-15: one flag and a thousand arms (by Charlie Star)

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
Damn! The last LFIL chapter a while ago had a pretty legendary photograph moment, but this one tops it by far!
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
"Please everyone, calm yourselves. The Galactic Assembly is addressing the issue as we speak."
The crowd roiled and churned like the bubbles in a pot of boiling water. Flags waved and voices rose high into the air.
The chanting increased in fervor.
"Please!"
The Rundi struggled to raise his voice high enough to be heard over the crowd, who only grew with strength and intensity.
Commander Vir keyed his mic,
"Delta units to the GA side of the crowd, some of these protesters are looking extremely agitated. Let's make sure they don't do anything we're all going to regret.”
He stood with his back to the GA chambers, its wide arching courtyard devoid of life, except for those unfortunate Rundi ordered to carry messages from one side of the compound to the other, otherwise they tried to keep their distance from the front facade of the building and the churning mass of protesters.
White flags waved and fluttered.
Commander Vir held the energy shield with one arm, pressing it back firmly against the crowd, so they could not pass the dedicated marking point.
"Commander, the crowd over here is getting violent."
He grimaced and reached a hand down to open the line,
"Stun them and let them calm down, do NOT catch anyone else in the crossfire. We do not want this escalating."
"Yes sir."
Something pushed against his shield and he grunted, pushing back.
The white bandanna on his arm was pressed against the clear blue force field and helped to at least confuse the crowd before them.
And luckily, they would be kept too confused to get violent.
The aliens among the human protesters helped as well.
If this was on earth, things would have broken out into a riot by now, but the Drev the Tesraki and the Finnari tended to be more levelheaded when it came to these kinds of things, and they managed to reign in their humans from doing something stupid.
He closed his eyes tight for a second, praying that the GA would rethink their position.
It hurt him to watch these people struggle like this.
It just felt so strange that anyone should be here in the first place.
Beside him, Sunny had taken control of two young humans who were getting a bit more than rowdy,
"Let’s keep this a protest, and not a riot."
She growled, giving them a look that would have made anyone quell in their boots. It sort of made him half smile, Sunny was such a badass, he wanted to be more like her when he eventually grew up.
His thoughts were cut off, as the crowd churned a bit, pressing into his shield.
He keyed his mic again, prepared to go over the loudspeaker and tell them that if they didn't calm down he was going to turn this protest into a mass nap time.
He had the power to do that if things got out of hand, though he honestly didn't want to.
The GA needed to see this.
He was so preoccupied with the crowd, that he barely noticed as the Rundi ran up from the inside of the compound, flying forward on its long spindly legs.
It stopped by the first Rundi to say something, and the conversation that passed between them didn't look particularly encouraging.
HIs heart sank into his stomach.
He felt... Surprisingly disappointed, very sad for all those people who were going to get their day ruined.
The Rundi waffled around at the front of the crowd for a bit before turning and looking over to where he stood.
Oh great.
The Rundi walked over, and he backed off from the crowd, allowing Sunny to take a step in his place with her shield at the ready.
The people looked as if they were about to start something, but seeing her expression, they decided not to.
He dropped his shield and lowered his head to hear the Rundi over the roaring of the crowd.
"The GA is not budging."
The Rundi whispered,
"They are asking the protesters to leave."
Adam growled in frustration.
Behind him someone in the crowd pointed at him,
"They're saying no aren't they!?”
Others took up the call, and soon enough the rest of the crowd had been alerted. Adam was forced to run back to support Sunny, as everything suddenly grew more intense.
Fights were breaking out on the left and the right.
People were hitting the ground as the guards were forced to stun them.
That only agitated the rest of the crowd who also began to buck and fight.
Adam keyed the mic for real this time, filling the intervening space with his booming voice,
”ALL OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF RIGHT NOW OR I WILL STUN YOU ALL."
The aggression in the crowd died down, though the anger remained sizzling at the surface.
Overhead clouds passed over the sun, before him the crowd roared like a wave, and behind him the GA council chambers were as silent as a ghost town.
"LISTEN, QUIET DOWN ALL OF YOU."
It sort of felt as if he was floating.
The world around him hardly seemed real though that was not the best way to explain it.
The crowd died down a bit,
"You may not understand this! And I have said it before, but these are not humans. Protests don't work on them. When they see a group of angry humans, they get scared and when they get scared, they double down even further. I know it does not make any sense to you NOT to protest for what you believe in, but if you are going to do this, you MUST remain civil. Even now the GA is frightened by you. They don't believe you are rational, and they are not going to listen to you if this keeps up."
The crowd had quieted down to a milling sort of confusion.
"Then what should we do!"*
The shouting came from somewhere and in anger, though he couldn't pinpoint the source.
In frustration he nudged Sunny, and she allowed him to climb on her back as he had before.
The crowd could see him now, and he could see them for the most part.
He waved them down trying to cut off the others who had taken up the chant.
"I understand what you are trying to do, and I support your efforts, but you are only hurting ourselves. The GA can only be won by rational discussion."
"The GA won't see any of our representatives. They are debating only on their own facts and opinions."
One of the crowd's people snarled. The call was echoed and Adam stared at them in shock,
"Wait what!? Are you serious?”
There was a muttering throughout the crowd.
"For fuck's sake."
He muttered under his breath,
"The Rudi think none of us are high ranking enough to be allowed into the council chambers, and none of the representatives will take up our cause. The human ambassador thinks we are disgusting, so she won't do anything and says she won’t represent our minority."
The muttering through the crowd grew louder.
Adam looked around, head turning to see all the angry faces, blushed with red, or streaked with tears.
These people were frustrated, and hurt, and he understood why.
This wasn't right!
He closed his eyes again and took another deep breath.
What was he thinking!?
He stepped down from Sunny's back and walked over to one of the protestors in the front row, pointing to his large flag on a pole that was about eight feet tall.
"May I borrow your flag?"
The protester stared on at him in confusion,
"What, why?"
"Because, I am going to give you the representative you need."
[…]
Commander Vir and Sunny walked alone down the length of the GA outer courtyard.
A billowing white flag streamed lazily over his head, suspended there by way of the pole which rested heavily on his shoulder. The white of the fabric had been marred now by many colors as hundreds of rushed signatures had been scrawled on its face.
He was armed with the backing of a thousand protesters, a hundred signatures, and more than a few dozen stories.
Sunny turned her head to look at him, and he fancied that maybe he saw an expression of pride in her eyes, though she didn't say much except,
"Pretty brave."
He didn't feel very brave, and as they walked through the front doors of the GA atrium, his hand was shaking against the cold metal of the flagpole.
He was stopped by a pair of Rundi guards on his way into the chamber, but was let in after they recognized who he was.
He could hear voices up ahead, and the sounds of the protest going on outside had all but died away,
"They have proven that they cannot be civil, and based on the humanizing effect, we can assume they will do similar things to any non-human lifeform that they encounter."
"I may not agree with their decision counselor, but that sounds like your prejudice against humans is seeping through."
There was an uproar in the council chamber.
He paused for a moment, staying with Sunny just out of line of sight and took a deep breath.
She lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Here goes nothing."
He muttered, before stepping his way out onto the GA floor.
At first no one noticed his presence as he made his slow way into the center of the circle, but his large, white flag soon changed that.
The council chambers went silent.
The chairwoman stood,
"Commander, what are you doing here. Shouldn't you be taking care of the protesters?”
His lips drew into a thing line,
"With all due respect councilwoman, I am."
He rammed the flagpole against the stone, sending a loud cracking sound out and around the wide atrium silencing the council,
"I have been made aware that you refuse to see their representatives based on a ranking issue, well I assume my rank is high enough."
The Human rep leaned forward,
"Commander, this is not your place!”
He shot her a look,
"Then whose place is it counselor? I heard a certain democratic counselor refuses to speak for them because they are and I quote “a too small and insignificant minority”…”
He turned his head in a wide arc at the watching crowd,
"Counselors, you have known me, longer than you have known any human currently in this galaxy. You understand that I know your rules and your customs. You understand that I have only ever striven to protect and uphold the GA and the planet's it encompasses. I have thwarted wars, signed treaties, and broken my own body for your best interests."
There was silence about the room.
"Will you let me speak now, with the understanding that my loyalty has never wavered from you, and never will?”
The silence continued.
Aliens understood the power of human loyalty.
Or at least they should…
The chairwoman took a seat,
"Very well, commander."
He lifted his head, feeling his heart slow as he took a few deep breaths. There was a muscle in his face that had begun to twitch, like it always did if he was extremely angry or nervous, but he held it down,
"I understand you are frightened, and I understand that you are confused, but I want you to know first of all that those people outside are good average people. They don't mean you any harm. They are hurting, and they are afraid for themselves, and they are trying to get your attention. Historically, humanity has used protests to right the injustices of government to combat prejudices brought on by one's sex or the color of their skin. You must understand that they see this as an impingement on their happiness and a decision made out of line."
There was a murmur around the room.
"So, I ask you now, that I may, perhaps, answer your questions and ease your worries. Why are you so against them?"
"It's unnatural."
It was the Bran representative that had spoken, and he did it quite emphatically.
"Why?"
The commander asked,
"Because they aren't even the same species."
"So?"
The Bran seemed caught off guard,
"They... It's not natural. They can't reproduce, so it isn't... A thing that should be done."
The commander shrugged,
"So if one can't reproduce then they aren't natural? I see a couple issues in that logic relating to prejudices against people with infertility."
There was a murmur around the room.
"So, they can't reproduce, so what? You know who we can reproduce with though... Adaptids."
There was a sort of hushed exclamation form around the room.
The commander shrugged,
"They can't have kids.... Hardly a good enough argument to bring to the floor of a government discussion."
"What he is trying to say is that this practice equates itself to bestiality. It is utterly disguting!"
It was the human representative this time, and she stared at him with her eyes narrowed in anger.
He kept his cool, though he very much did not like her.
"That is absolutely disgusting and wildly insulting of you because that implies that one or both parties are no better than animals, beasts as you will."
The room was silent,
"So which one is it, are humans animals, counselor, are the Finnari or the Rundi animals?"
He turned to the Drev counselor,
"Are the Drev just dumb animals that have no understanding, and no decision making abilities?”
The Drev representative stood, angrily cracking his spear against the stone,
"We are most certainly not!"
The commander held up his hands,
"Then what is so bestial about it? Bestiality is absolutely disgusting because you are taking advantages of a creature that can neither understand nor protect itself from what you are doing. It cannot say yes, and it cannot say no. It has no greater understanding than that of a child, and so cannot make its own decisions."
He looked towards the Finnari representative,
"Tell me counselor, is your species a species of children, with no greater concept of their own decision making?”
"Of course not. Why would you even imply such a thing!?”
"I imply nothing, counselor. This is what YOU imply with your decision. So far we have established that all parties are intelligent consenting creatures, and none of you have managed to give me an actually good reason for banning the practice."
The floor was growing more agitated.
"They will be a poor example for the rest of the galaxy. If we make it legal others will surely follow."
Adam turned his eyes on the speaker, an Iotin,
"You're worried that they are going to turn the rest of the galaxy extrial?"
He laughed,
"That is a poor argument which is not only selfish, but foolish. People should be allowed to make their own decisions. And assuming you are right, what then? Oh no... There are a few more extrials... And it does... What exactly?"
He turned in a wide circle,
"If you are worried about population growth or in this case population falloff due to this issue then you should be reminded that extrials comprise a percentage of the human population so small that I could fit the greater majority of them on my ship comfortably. This occurrence is not common, and even if the numbers were to rise, it would not be of enough significance to cause issues."
His heart was hammering hard inside his chest. He felt like he was doing alright, but that might mean nothing.
"In any event, these relationships do not affect the vast majority of the galaxy. Humans cannot be with the Bran or the Rundi due to the water we shed from our skin. The Gromm and the Iotins are out for similar reasons. Vrul and Gibb are incapable of having feelings for humans in that way as far as we know, and both the Tvek and the Celzex are too different from humans for either party to be interested."
He walked around in a circle, allowing the flag to trail behind him,
"Furthermore, the humanization phenomenon happens with or without romantic intent, and as it is, its mention is more a mark of prejudice on humans than it is an argument against the two groups being together."
He left the floor open for a little while, as the council muttered with each other.
Finally, the Drev representative stood,
"My species culture and our way of life has been upturned by the GA. I fear relationships with humans will result in the loss of our culture. We have already strayed far from what we originally were. We are hardly recognizable as Drev anymore."
The commander let his voice soften,
"I understand that the Drev have lost a lot in joining this..."
Sunny held up a hand, and in surprise he was cut off.
She took the floor,
"Your Glory…"
She said bowing her head,
"If you would have truly upheld those ideals, you would not be sitting on this council."
The Drev pulled back in surprise at her words,
"Yes, we lost a lot in joining the GA, and after the war, but I would argue that some of that was for good. Before the GA people like me, with perceived imperfection were cast into the fire and perceived as no better than animals. This practice still takes place on our planet, where these traditions are still alive and well."
Her words made the room shift nervously,
"However, culture changes and adapts, and it must to survive. We changed in order to live among the GA. We found other alternatives to fighting that still maintain our honor and our prowess in war, and this includes the sports that the humans have brought to us. Furthermore, the vast majority of the Drev I see who are with humans are those of us who would not be accepted by our own kind, perceived as ugly or malformed. If this is the case then your traditions remain sound, and those like me are removed from the mating population."
The counselor almost looked ashamed at her words, turning his head away so as not to look her in the eyes.
"As far as a change of culture goes, it was bound to happen, and it seems you are more worried about change than you actually are about human Drev relationships."
She went quiet, and Adam nodded to her taking the floor again.
A Finnari counselor stood,
"I am simply worried about our birth rate. The Finnari were farmed by the Gnarlak for many years, and we are only now replenishing our population."
"I don't think you need to worry. The amount of actual relationships is so small that it will not affect the Finnari population in any significant manner."
The representative sat back down with no real argument to combat him.
The chairwoman stood,
"Your arguments have been heard commander, though, what the others do not mention is the issue of disease. We have seen a great increase of illness transmissible from humans to non humans and-"
"I hate to cut you off chairwoman, but that is NOT related to interspecies relationships, but instead has another simple explanation: the rise in human tourism."
She paused,
"Explain."
"You all know very well that humans are not allowed to leave their planet unless they are tested for all communicable non-treatable diseases. This means that those of us that you see here cannot physically pass our diseases off onto other people, except for the germs that are found naturally on our skin. In this case these issues did not stem from relationships at all, but poor vaccination, the poor regulation of tourism, and allowing aliens to travel onto earth where infected humans are located and not testing them as they leave."
He looked on at them pleadingly,
"You see. You don't even have problems with them, but you are using them as a real scapegoat for the actual issues. And I am here to tell you that, in fact you are causing more problems by banning this! The more you push, the harder they will push back, and eventually someone is going to get hurt, because they are not allowed to be together legally, they do it illegally, and because they do it illegally, they end up in dangerous places exposed to greater rates of crime. They get hurt, and they get involved in things they would otherwise not have gotten involved in if you had not banned it. Just look at Noctoplis. It has the highest rate of extrials living there and the lowest policing force and the most corrupted system. There are no legitimate jobs there, so we see an influx of crime by desperate people who won't be accepted anywhere else. Not to mention that it increased the depression rates, which increases suicide rates. Your laws have ostracized them, forced them to become criminals, and turned many of them to think that killing themselves is better than living in a world where they are seen as disgusting when they don't actually do any real harm."
He had to take a deep breath,
"Earth has seen all of this before, and one way or another, eventually someone will see what I am trying to say."
He rested the flag on the floor beside him, feet planted at shoulder width.
"I hope that this rational conversation will allow a more open mind on the council. I encourage you to talk to their representatives. They are more rational and educated than I am, and they can give you hard facts and statistics. But please, they don't want to cause trouble, if you allow them to do as they will, you might find these problems going away for you."
The human representative clearly did not seem convinced, but he didn't expect to convince her, he expected to convince the others who were more afraid than they were prejudiced.
"It seems as if we have some other potential policies to discuss, commander."
The chairwoman said, tapping her fingers on the table before her.
"I have a suggestion, ma'am."
"And that is?"
"A temporary revocation on the ban, that way you can SEE what the universe will be like without it, and you can judge for yourself whether The ban does any good. You don't have to overturn the law just yet, but temporarily suspend it, that way you can re institute at any time. Then you will have concrete proof. You can do testing, and polls and whatever else, then you would know for sure."
His suggestion turned into a discussion, that dragged on for many minutes before the chairwoman raised her hand,
"It has been decided, all in favor of this temporary proposal please indicate."
The voting lights flashed above them.
Commander Vir waited with baited breath.
[…]
He walked from the venue, hours after he had entered, totally tired and exhausted.
The flag felt heavy in his hands and his boots thudded with exhaustion on the white marble below him.
Outside, the protest field was surprisingly silent, though he could still see their flags.
As he walked closer, he could see that the vast majority of the crowd was sitting down.
Their voices reached him from a distance at first, until he realized they were calmly singing with each other.
Waiting for his verdict.
Suddenly the first people from the crowd noticed the two silhouettes coming from the chambers towards them.
A lone man and Drev were walking from the building.
The man was wearing riot gear, a full helmet, a shield, and carrying their flag, resting against his right shoulder.
The group of them began to stand, rising to their feet and yelling.
Pointing in his direction.
They quieted as he got closer.
"What did they say!? What did they say!?”
He stayed quiet, holding a hand in the air to silence them.
He passed the flag to the original protester who looked on at him with such an expression of pleading that he felt his eyes tingle a bit with rising emotion.
He had to look away, boosting himself onto Sunny's back, keying his mic.
The crowd was silent.
A thousand eyes fixed on one human and one Drev.
"I spoke to the GA."
They waited on tenterhooks,
"And after a long debate, and a slim majority the GA have decided..."
Flags whipped in the wind,
"To temporarily revoke the ban on inter-species relationships until a-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence, drowned out by a powerful wave of noise and joy so overwhelming that he was nearly knocked backwards off his feet.
The crowd surged forward, and Sunny staggered as the group surrounded them, pressing inward and upwards.
Adam found himself on the ground on his feet, packed in by bodies enclosed by hundreds of pairs of arms, which slapped on the shoulder and the arm, as every person tried their best to get one hand on him.
The flag from earlier was ripped off its stand and pressed into his hands.
He was deafened by cheering and an outpouring of gratitude so profound he had simply never experienced such emotion.
He looked up at Sunny, pressed in with him by the enthusiastic crowd.
And she nodded her head in approval.
He grinned.
He had to admit.
This felt pretty good.
Though, whether it was all over was a question for another time.
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.
submitted by maximusaemilius to HFY [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 16:14 Adventurous_Role_612 Georgia Plant Swap + Sale West End June 4 (Sunday 12-5pm). Wild Heaven West End. Swap area. Free plant from community, local sellers to buy from on premise. Great Brew, Coffee, and food on premise.

Georgia Plant Swap + Sale West End June 4 (Sunday 12-5pm). Wild Heaven West End. Swap area. Free plant from community, local sellers to buy from on premise. Great Brew, Coffee, and food on premise. submitted by Adventurous_Role_612 to atlbeer [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 16:05 SpacePaladin15 The Nature of Predators 121

First Prev
Patreon Arxur POV of the Cradle Series wiki Official subreddit Discord
---
---
Memory transcription subject: Captain Sovlin, United Nations Fleet Command
Date [standardized human time]: January 15, 2137
It wasn’t my imagination; our triangular shuttle was sinking like a stone. Water bobbed up against the cockpit windows, entombing us beneath the waves. Hull integrity would eventually give out and allow water to flood the compartment. The predators were just watching it happen, with not nearly enough panic showing in their binocular eyes. They made no attempt to inflate a life raft and escape, while we could still get the doors open.
The craft had tipped forward at a slight angle, and the airborne vehicle began to sink nose-first toward a watery grave. A feeling of immense claustrophobia gripped me, as the nightmare scenario came to fruition. My claws wrapped around Samantha’s arm before I could stop myself; the human looked at me with sheer disbelief, and pushed me away. Her nose was scrunched in an obvious sign of distaste. Carlos would’ve definitely been more amenable to my desperate outreach for support.
Samantha heaved a sigh. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just fucking do that, but it better not ever happen again.”
“Please! We’re sinking!” I croaked.
Onso snickered. “Sinking? You don’t feel the engines running? It’s a submersible aircraft.”
Upon closer listening, I could feel the quiet hum of the engines. Somehow, the combustion drive was still running underwater, and pushing us in a controlled manner further into the ocean. There were no signs of leaks seeping through the walls, despite being encased in the depths. I’d never heard of a plane that could fly underwater, but I should’ve gleaned our safety from the predators’ calmness.
If a human is running or terrified, that’s when it’s time to assume our deaths are imminent.
Sam wasn’t the least bit amused by me latching onto her arm, but Tyler and Carlos were both masking smirks. I dipped my head in shame. How had the Yotul known of technology which was unfathomable to the wider galaxy? Until today, I wouldn’t have thought such devices would ever have a use. It was embarrassing that the primitive kept his head better than me around novel technology, though I tried to push that egoistic thought out of my mind.
“Do the Yotul have this kind of technology, Onso?” I prompted the reddish-furred marsupial to answer, though I knew the reply would be in the negative. “I’ve never heard of such things, so I’m surprised it’s old news to you.”
“Well, I took it upon myself to read up on the specs; they were included with our briefing notes. Never know when shit’s gonna break, and someone’s gotta fix it. The Yotul have a saying, ‘Everything can break, so assume it will do so today.’”
“That’s valid. Every spacecraft crash is due to a ‘one-in-a-billion’ mechanical failure; unlikelihood upon unlikelihood. Uh, anyhow, I’m a little out of my element here, clearly nothing like you.”
“I don’t mind the water, Sovlin. Mama had a sailboat, which she’d take around the harbor. It was a little disappointing to hear human water activities involve hunting. There’s so many beautiful things to see; it’s the last untamed frontier. Even after space is explored, the oceans still hold so many mysteries and unique lifeforms!”
“Plenty of humans agree with you, even ones who enjoy fishing like Tyler. We’ll go snorkeling or scuba diving just to explore reefs and view marine life,” Carlos chimed in. “No boat, nothing but a basic breathing apparatus.”
“There’s water sports too. Surfing, where you try to ride massive waves on a board.” Samantha made odd gestures with her hands, as though conveying a series of hills. “Parasailing, up in the sky tied to a boat. White water rafting, where you go down turbulent, rocky rapids in an inflatable.”
I groaned. “Why…are any of those not mortally dangerous?! What is wrong with you predators? I thought you evolved from the fucking trees!”
“It’s all in the spirit of fun, a memorable experience. Don’t tell me none of it sounds like something you want to try once.”
“No, those stunts sound horrible. This is horrible. I can see the depth meter going up…it’s double digits! I can’t see the sky!”
“Quit being a baby.”
“Quit being a predator! I hate humans; I can’t stand you! Onso, back me up.”
“The surfing sounds totally badass. I can imagine riding a wave up to its crest, and trying not to fall,” the Yotul answered. “We should try it together, old man. Conquer your fears, do things you think you can’t.”
“I am not doing that. No way on the cradle.”
Tyler sported a devilish grin. “Hey, it could be worse, Sovlin. You could be doing shark cage diving.”
I offered the blond human a blank stare. Through the cockpit behind him, I noticed orange-striped fish swimming clear of the aerosub. There was a dark shadow in the murky depths below, which filled me with palpable unease. What if it was some sort of massive predator which hid in this oceanic range? Chewing at my claws with anxiety, I tried to parse through what he said.
Cage diving? That can’t be what it sounds like; locking yourself in a cage and jumping into the water…not trying to escape. What’s a shark?
We moved closer to the ambiguous shadow within the turquoise ocean, which I tried to ignore. The humans would freak out if there was reason for alarm; I couldn’t make a fool of myself again. Plastering a look of confusion on my face, I flicked a claw at Tyler for an explanation. His blue eyes twinkled with amusement, and my former guards watched with interest.
“Ah, you’re wondering what that is.” Officer Cardona tapped his fingers against his holopad, and noticed that his Yotul exchange partner was intrigued too. He showed a picture to Onso first. “I’d say it’s self-explanatory. Oh, and, yes, they have side-facing eyes, but sharks are predators. Humans have movies about them eating us, even though that’s uncommon in reality.”
Tyler turned the device toward me, and I flinched away with disbelief. Sure enough, a pack of Terrans were suspended in a metal cage below the water. “Sharks” circled them with predatory intent, serrated teeth visible. From what I’d learned about Gojids being omnivores, I’d trust the primates on binocular eyes not being necessary to eat living food. However, deciphering human behavior was a maddening endeavor. Was this some twisted way of reasserting their dominance as apex predators, against animals that dared to prey on them?
“You just said it was in fucked-up human movies…it’s CGI! That’s not a real fucking thing!” I screamed. “I thought we were keeping it professional, huh? You all are definitely saying, and making up, predator nonsense on purpose, at this point!”
Tyler flashed his teeth. “It’s real. We don’t need to make anything up; humans will go to great lengths for thrills.”
“That seems to be tempting fate. I’ve always believed in respecting nature, though it would be cool to see these animals up close,” Onso said.
“Good news: you can see them in aquariums too.”
I thought humans would think water decorations were stupid…wait, what did he just say?!
My spines were bristling. “You have aquariums, like the Kolshians on Aafa?”
“Yep,” Tyler affirmed.
“And instead of sea plants, you keep dangerous predators in them?”
“Yeah? They’re cool to look at, man.”
“Protector, I don’t care if we’re in the middle of the ocean. I want off this sinking boat!”
Carlos stifled a laugh. “Well, your wish is about to be granted. This puppy isn’t meant to dive deeper than 100 meters. The UNS Deep Core is up ahead.”
The foreboding shadow had grown larger in my periphery, and my eyes swiveled back to the viewport. It was a submersed ship, but one that was so large, its breadth faded into the murky distance. There was no way this wasn’t in the triple digits of meters long; the all-black, undecorated exterior would cause an observer to mistake it for a shadowy patch of water. There was a tower affixed to its spine, which perhaps housed an equivalent to a bridge.
“The humans must’ve snuck this ship here days ago. How long has it been lurking?” I murmured to myself. “They couldn’t have airdropped it from too high up either…I don’t think.”
Samantha rubbed her hands together. “If you think this is the only one sent, think again. We’re told as much as we need to know, Sovlin, but it’s a blast to fill in the blanks.”
Our aerosub glided down to the bottom of the Deep Core, before flipping over and latching onto to a watertight door. It was similar to how a spacecraft would dock for boarding; my concerns were assuaged a little, noticing some familiarity. Packing such a large crew into a metal tube must be stressful for any land-dwelling species, but the humans were insane enough to tuck their senses aside. There could be enough predators aboard to compose a small village.
I disliked the fact that I was hanging at a ninety-degree angle, though I didn’t voice my complaints. The humans awkwardly dismounted, with Tyler helping Onso down. Carlos hoisted me to my own two feet, and I took a steadying breath. Our own watertight hatch, which I mistook for an emergency exit when I thought it was a sane vehicle, was on the right exit. There was a click, as human personnel opened the circular door from the other side.
The five of us were helped up through the threshold into the submarine, and we admired the metal inner workings of our surroundings. The tunnels were narrow, with small doorways leading between compartments; many required a slight step up to clear. One Terran greeted us at our docking point, though he wore a different uniform than the getup I was used to. I wasn’t sure what to expect from land predators who operated underwater, but the ample facial hair checked out with my mental image.
“Welcome aboard the Deep Core. I’m Commander Fournier; your presence is requested on the bridge,” a gruff voice greeted us.
I blinked in confusion. “May I ask why…sir?”
“First aliens to step foot on a submarine. You’re VIPs; it’s a good photo-op, you could say. Follow me.”
Of course, the humans are worried about optics as we’re descending to an outlandish location. Sometimes, they’re awfully predictable.
Claustrophobia threatened to flare up, with the cramped passages and lack of direction. Onso showed no such uneasiness, forcing Tyler to ensure that the Yotul studied objects with his eyes, not his paws. The primitive seemed enamored with any machinery or design quirks, even basic things such as hinges. I was really trying not to look down on him, but when he was gawking at simplistic nails, it was difficult. At least his dimwitted curiosity was a distraction from our present environment.
The bearded commander led us to a steep stairway, and communicated for us to follow his lead. There was a thunderous bark of “up ladder!” before the human-in-charge popped open a hatch. Tyler waved a hand at me and Onso, signaling for us to climb after Fournier first. I ensured that my balance was steady, hustling up the rungs. There was a railing surrounding the hatch, along with a safety chain that our guide was unclipping.
“Sir, may I ask how much air we have left?” I couldn’t resist asking, despite being out of breath from the short ascent. “I presume you’ve been submerged a few days. Even spaceships can only carry a few weeks of oxygen, and I don’t see any tanks, um…”
Fournier issued a throaty laugh. “Scared of submarines, Gojid?”
“A little, uh, yes…sir.”
“Don’t be. We have as much air as there is water in the ocean.”
Onso bounded after us. “The Terrans use electrolysis to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in seawater they collect, then use that O2 to ventilate the ship.”
“Why, I like this one!” the commander bellowed. “Read up on subs, haven’t ya?”
“It drew me in…like a vortex of knowledge. I always liked machines.”
“Then I take it you’re an engineer? I can see that kid-like glee in your eyes.”
“A rocket engineer. The unchanging rules, the complex order, the concreteness and the planning: it speaks to me. Having a new class of machines to study really lit that fire, for the first time since the Federation killed my passion. Not even studying your weaponry truly scratched that itch. It’s just, I never dreamed I’d discover a new alien boat!”
“Well, well! I’m no engineer, but I’ll be happy to share what I know. Feel free to ask any questions; we love talking about what we do, to someone who really wants to hear it.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Commander Fournier led us into a stout compartment, where a vast array of gadgetry and screens covered a wall. Humans were examining a green circle on display, with a rotating line and labeled angles. Data feeds were also listed there, which led me to conclude it was a sensors equivalent. Navigations was at the front, at least from the appearance of several control columns. Some predators appeared to be acting as officers or supervisors, peering over others’ shoulders and issuing commands.
This isn’t that dissimilar to a starship, but where is the viewport? How can they see?
I cleared my throat. “Sir, where is the viewport? There’s no windows!”
“We don’t need windows,” Fournier explained. “We use sonar, because sound travels further in water than light. Glass or transparent materials are just a weak point in the hull, and a potential source of leaks if we take a hit.”
“Okay. Then why did the submersible craft we took here have windows?”
“Because it needs to be a spacecraft too, and you need to see when you’re flying. It’s useful enough to outweigh any concerns,” Carlos chimed in.
“This is so cool!” Onso bounced on his digitigrade hindlegs, and the commander fortunately didn’t take offense to his excess excitement. “The sonar doesn’t need to see at all. It just…listens.”
Fournier nodded. “Precisely. I saw you examining the bearings on our machinery, and I’ll impress upon you the importance of noise reduction down here. We keep everything detached from the hull frame to avoid vibrations…even dropping a wrench can give you up to an enemy. Sonar receptors pick up the slightest vibration, and then, they know you’re there.”
“That explains why your engines have to be so quiet. I was reading about how you try to avoid cavitation…you know, where the vacuum pressure caused by the propeller makes water boil. The bubbles pop and give off noise.”
“You don’t need a rundown at all, Yotul; you already know everything. We have a speed range where we can operate silently.”
I was growing bored of the technical explanations, and Onso, a primitive, was outshining my knowledge to the humans. Perhaps the Yotul was desperate to prove himself as an academic equal, but he didn’t need to prattle on about science like he was reading a textbook. While there were impressive feats of engineering on display here, I agreed with Samantha’s assertion of naval obsolescence. What good was fighting in the water, except in this extraordinary circumstance?
The predators can hide far away from any targets or locations of value forever. How ingenious. They’d be unseen altogether if the other human tribes realized this theater was irrelevant in a war.
I suppressed an irritated huff. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”
“Granted,” Fournier replied, a curious twinkle in his eyes.
“Respectfully, sir, I do not see the purpose of putting all this time into submarine development, at least for military aims. You’re a spacefaring species, and you’re incredible at ground assaults. What use is it to hide so far away from civilization…from the action? Maybe you sink a few ships that are using an outdated method of moving resources, but I don’t get it. You have better weapons.”
“You really don’t know? To use your word, these ships are masterful predators; nearly undetectable, capable of hearing the slightest sound, and able to surface anywhere in the world. But it goes far beyond that. The destructive power housed here is a hell of a deterrent. That’s why we’d never actually trade nukes like ya Feddies thought we did.”
“Nukes? I’m not following.”
“There’s tens of nukes stuffed onto just one of these things. We can hang off the shore anywhere, and fire missiles while underwater. Not that we have to be close to our target; we can shoot ICBMs halfway around the world. You never know where we are, if it’s right down your neck or prowling distant shores. We’re waiting to strike, anywhere and everywhere, with the technology to end civilization itself, even after command is destroyed on land. Obsolete, my ass.”
I gulped with discomfort, wishing I could recede into the ship walls. That declaration was so calm yet predatorily destructive; there were chilling implications for the extent of human aggression. It suddenly made sense why Earth tribes were intent on sniffing these predators out of the ocean’s recesses, and why the subs tried to remain undetectable at all costs. Should the current battle go awry, Talsk could be devastated by an unseen arsenal of epic proportions.
As Commander Fournier took his post, I tried to understand why humans would devise such machinations, for use against their own civilization. The Federation’s “irradiated Earth” could’ve been a reality; these capabilities shouldn’t exist in any culture. I didn’t understand why my kind-hearted friends would even think of such predatory weaponry. Surely, understanding the apocalyptic consequences of these vehicles should’ve convinced them not to build them.
My therapist could’ve elaborated further on the full heights of Terran aggression. Humans didn’t enjoy killing, yet they brainstormed and actualized the optimal ways to kill every human in existence? It was a paradox. Perhaps their predator nature factored into their decision-making in a manner they didn’t understand. Orders were issued to begin our descent, and for all sailors to report to battle stations. I felt the submersible tilt down, so I tried to clear my head of what the primates were capable of.
I have to believe that they will never actually do something like that…that their goodness will prevail. They didn’t snap after Earth, right? I trust their better judgment.
“W-well, if there’s really a base at the bottom of the ocean, the Farsul are fucked,” I murmured to my posse.
Samantha’s fist tightened, as her smirk returned. “I’d say they are.”
The numbers on the depth meter continued to escalate, as the submarine navigated the ocean which spanned below us. Locked inside a steel tube with predators, and knowing the potential of its onboard weaponry, my nerves were anything but quelled. The submarines somehow eclipsed even the worst starships in its dastardly capabilities. The Farsul wouldn’t be prepared for this predatory contraption, should we stumble across any of their flotilla.
I was glad that the humans were on the same team as me; there was no telling where their capacity for annihilation ended.
---
First Prev
Patreon Arxur POV of the Cradle Series wiki Official subreddit Discord
submitted by SpacePaladin15 to HFY [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 13:03 FelicitySmoak_ On This Day In Michael Jackson HIStory - June 3rd

On This Day In Michael Jackson HIStory - June 3rd
1972 - "I Wanna Be Where You Are" by Michael enters the Billboard US Hot Soul Singles Chart, where it will make a 12 week run for the #2 poisiton.
1972 - "Got To Be There", the 1st solo album by Michael, enters the UK's Top 50 albums chart, where it will peak at #37 during a fiveweek run.
1973 - "Lookin' Through the Windows" by The Jackson 5 on the Motown label hits the Billboard music charts at #94, where it peaks at #7. It remains on the chart for 33 weeks.
1979 - The Jackson perform their Destiny tour at Carolina Coliseum in Columbia, South Carolina. They give a press interview at the Carolina Inn

https://preview.redd.it/pevzonw90p3b1.jpg?width=826&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4557c94ddd96d571083a69d61648f2b1da0b318
1990- Michael collapses while dancing at his Westwood condo known as 'The Hideout'. He is taken to St John Hospital of Los Angeles around 9pm where he is treated for chest pains.
He gets visits from the whole Jackson family (except LaToya, who sends him a dozen black roses) .Elizabeth Taylor also visits him. She had been in the hospital undergoing treatment for a near fatal bout of pneumonia since mid April.
“According to his physician, he is in stable condition and appropriate tests are being conducted", nursing officials said in a prepared statement.
1992- At the Tavern On The Green in New York City, the One To One award is given to Michael by the Operation One to One organization in charge with creating better living standards for young people, for efforts committed to helping economically disadvantaged youth. Michael attends the Operation One To One Honors dinner with friends Elizabeth Taylor and Donald Trump.

https://preview.redd.it/amyehkyc0p3b1.jpg?width=796&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=efde03bd756b379198db612aaca5d89944821a66

https://preview.redd.it/f5wfjhke0p3b1.jpg?width=689&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab01c0a625c174290b7c7bd6b2cfca0a0ab25cf1
1992 - Crystal Cartier filed a $40 million federal lawsuit against Michael Jackson, Sony Music Entertainment, MJJ Productions and Epic Records. She alleged that she originally wrote and recorded "Dangerous."
In February of 1994, a Denver Federal court jury ruled in Michael's favor
1995 - The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce rejects Michael's application to cover up the famous 'Hollywood' sign with the word 'HIStory' to promote his new compilation album
1997 - Michael Jackson plays the Mungersdorfer (now RheinEnergieStadionStadium) in Cologne, Germany, to an audience of 60,000 on the HIStory World Tour

https://preview.redd.it/uvij16ug0p3b1.jpg?width=143&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=025eefd461e2750007d815abc50701398a09f4d5

https://preview.redd.it/w82z1dgh0p3b1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7f536d84b116ecb748361a7620bc030783b5dc4

https://preview.redd.it/vetxb87i0p3b1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd578aef6dc5a0aa49ffeb709f61858dd559d0d3

https://preview.redd.it/nrxko7xi0p3b1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3735e8bdfa8770c510fc9f333334a994d0b0daba
2005 - Trial Day 67
Michael goes to court with Katherine, Joe, Janet and LaToya.

https://preview.redd.it/vaspltik0p3b1.jpg?width=448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=311e351bf79f39a8d48cf4681686247b2f20fb19
Michael was greeted outside court by hundreds of chanting fans. He arrived with his parents and his famous siblings - Janet, LaToya, Jermaine, Tito and Randy. They waved to the fans chants of “Michael is Innocent!”

https://preview.redd.it/p8jtchhn0p3b1.jpg?width=612&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9cb1c23e69cfefb6e4608aa16b3650011976c106
Defense attorneys completed their closing arguments, labeling the Arvizo family liars and con artists trying to pull “the biggest con of their careers”.
"They are trying to take advantage of Michael Jackson," said impassioned defense attorney Thomas Mesereau. "They are trying to profit from Michael Jackson. They think they have pulled it off. They are just waiting for one thing - your verdict."
"What they are trying to do to Michael Jackson is so harmful, so brutal, so devastating if you have any reasonable doubt about the double-talk, the lies, its over. You must acquit Michael Jackson," he told the 12 jurors.
Mesereau spoke about the American system of justice and said, "We have the best system in the world and ladies and gentlemen I'm begging you to honor the system. You must acquit him."
He accused prosecutors of trying to "dirty up Michael" because they lack the evidence to prove their case.
"The witnesses are preposterous, the perjury is everywhere," Mesereau declared. "None of it works. The only thing they've had is to throw dirt all over the place and hope it sticks."
He added: "If you look in your hearts do you believe Michael Jackson is evil in that way? Is it even possible? It really is not."
Mesereau then played excerpts from a video in which Jackson denies any sexual impropriety and said that he had “never been betrayed or deceived by children.”
The defense attorney conceded that Jackson had been lax with his money and had let the wrong people into his circle. But, he said, the singer was not the “monster” the prosecution were trying to depict and that he was not guilty of any crime.
Afterwards, prosecutor Ron Zonen delivered a brief rebuttal. He sought to answer the question of Jackson’s motivation for the crime asking, "Why would Mr. Jackson do it? Because he could This child was in love with him. This child would do anything he said."
Zonen reminded jurors of the past allegations made against Jackson saying that this was necessary in order to “see the total picture”. He claimed that Jackson was “in love” with his 1993 accuser and added that the current accuser is a “clone” of the boy in that case.
After both sides rested for the last time, Judge Rodney Melville ordered the eight women and four men on the jury to begin their deliberations. He gave them a 98-page book of instructions.
The Judge told Jackson that he could stay at Neverland during the proceedings but requested that the attorneys remain within 10 minutes of the courthouse in case the jurors had any questions.
These deliberations are the final stage of an ordeal that began 14 weeks ago. During this time the jury has heard testimony from over 130 witnesses.
A verdict was expected early next week.
Court Transcript
While Jury deliberations take place, the whole Jackson family waits for the verdict at Neverland.

https://preview.redd.it/lh5l7gqo0p3b1.jpg?width=612&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5967b6b6c73b0a56bec2b5b8e28f20e68b9ddb7
2008 - Michael has dinner with Thomas Barrack Jr, chairman and CEO of Colony Capital LLC, at the Las Vegas Hilton's Verona Sky Villa.
2009 - Michael goes to Culver Studios with Prince, Paris & Kenny Ortega, where he shoots “The Drill” 3D

https://preview.redd.it/5lzzqj2t0p3b1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8747a49dd0f9c68ae73b6f93fa21e2f9e01b6a77

https://preview.redd.it/hezl4ayt0p3b1.jpg?width=199&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1dae7ef1a99ee196a5be6dbfb8cd5ab243856f58
He also, once again, goes to Dr Klein’s in Beverly Hills.
2013 - Jackson v AEG Trial Day 22
No Jackson family member was at the courthouse.
Paul Gongaware
AEG cross
Putnam asked Gongaware if MJ was comfortable with all the show dates. "Yes, I went through all of the dates with him," Gongaware said. Bugzee, the tour manager, had a big calendar on the walls, Gongaware explained, saying they changed the dates of the shows four times. The jury was shown an email in which Gongaware worked with a staffer to create a calendar to show Jackson. He wanted colors changed. He wanted the calendar to be changed so that it reflected Jackson's show dates and off days differently. Gongaware email:
Figure it out so it looks like he's not working so much
As to the email, Putnam asked if he was trying to fool Michael:
"No, I was trying to make it clear, trying to get it just the way I wanted it," Gongaware responded.
After changing 4 show dates Gongaware said Michael was comfortable with it. He would do 8 shows in July, 10 in August, 9 in September. There would be no shows in October, November and December, resuming with 10 shows in January, 10 in February and three in March. No back-to-back shows. Gongaware said the O2 Arena had a previous commitment in Oct-Dec of 2009 and they could not have the concerts.

Putnam: "Was this a rigorous schedule?"
Gongaware: "No, not at all"
Gongaware recalled that on the HIStory tour they did 10-12 shows per month, from country to country, but this one would stay in London only. Gongaware said he wasn't concerned with Michael's age. "He seemed great to me," he said, and this was stationary show, didn't have to travel.
Gongaware:
The reason Michael wanted to delay the 1st show was he wanted more time to rehearse in the O2 Arena where the show would take place.
He said Michael and Kenny Ortega would decide the rehearsal schedule. Gongaware explained Michael didn't have to attend rehearsals, since it was not part of his deal. He said they never require an artist to rehearse. "I didn't have any expectation," Gongaware said regarding Michael rehearsing. He said he's never seen a requirement for a musicial artist to rehearse & that during the HIStory tour, Michael didn't rehearse but nailed it. "When it was game time, he would show up," Gongaware explained. For instance, Gongaware cited an outdoor concert in Bangkok in high heat, humidity.
As to the email Gongaware wrote about calling Michael lazy, he said he used unfortunate choices of words, Michael didn't like to rehearse.
Talking about the elements of the show, Gongaware described what they wanted to do for the opening of the show. He said Michael would be dressed up in a LED suit, like a television, flashing on him brief movie about things that happened in history. Michael would be lowered down onto the stage. He called the LED suit a "Moon man" suit, but Ortega called it "Light man." Putnam showed a presentation of how the LED suit idea would work. Footage is not on This Is It documentary because it was early stages of prep. Gongaware said the 1st idea was to make Michael float from the audience, but they couldn't make it work. So they decided to lower him down onto the stage. Gongaware said the big screen on the back of the stage was 3D capable. The audience would be given glasses when they entered the show. The 3D songs would be Thriller, Earth Song and Smooth Criminal. "He wanted to do biggest, best show ever, live show," Gongaware said
Putnam showed email chain from Ortega to Gongaware asking to make a deal with choreographer Travis Payne. Answer from Gongaware:
This is not AEG money, it's Michael's money so it takes a lot of time to get approvals
Defendants were trying to establish a pattern that all the money spent was actually Michael's money, not AEG's, just like with Dr. Murray
At one point Gongaware said he learned from Michael about a doctor named Murray. "He came to me and said he wanted his personal doctor on the tour". Gongaware said he suggested to Michael to get a licensed doctor in London who would know the lay of the land, in case of need. "This is the machine, we have to take care of the machine. I want Conrad," Gongaware said Michael responded. I think what he meant was his brain could create it but his body had to deliver the show every night

Putnam: "Were you surprised he wanted to take his doctor on tour?"
Gongaware: "No"
Putnam: "Why not?"
Gongaware: "He had doctors before"
Gongaware said other artists take doctors as well, so he was not the only one and it didn't surprise him. Gongaware said he's been on tour before where an artist had chiropractors, but couldn't remember being in one with a doctor
Putnam: "Did you worry Michael might have a health issue?"
Gongaware: "No"
Putnam: "Why not?"
Gongaware: "He seemed fine to me, had a physical and passed"
Gongaware said the suggestion for a London doctor was due to the cost; paying a doctor full time was much more expensive than hiring a local doctor. Gongaware said Dr. Murray treated Michael for about three years before 2009. He knew the doctor was from Las Vegas but said he was in LA. Gongaware said he then called Dr. Murray to work out a deal. Gongaware testified he didn't have Michael's direct phone number, would go through Michael Amir Williams, his personal assistant, to reach him. Gongaware called Murray on behalf of Michael saying the singer wanted to take him to London. "What do you want to be paid for that," Gongaware asked. Gongaware said he thought Dr. Murray was expecting his call and was aware of the desire to take him on tour. "He said he would need $5 million," Gongaware recalled. "He said he has 4 clinics to close, would lay off people, needs $5 million for that." Asked by Putnam if Murray's price was reasonable: "It was ridiculous," Gongaware said about the amount asked. "It was a lot of money for something like that and Michael could not afford it." Gongaware said he responded that it wasn't going to work" He said this was the first time he spoke with Dr. Murray. After that, Gongaware said he told Michael Amir and Randy Phillips what the doctor had asked. He also told Frank DiLeo. Gongaware said a lot of people who wanted to work for MJ asked for huge sums of money, thinking he had a lot.
Putnam: "Would you be doing this if Michael had not asked you?"
Gongaware: "No"
Putnam: "Did you contemplate bringing a doctor on tour?"
Gongaware: "I didn't think he needed one, we didn't have one in History, he was fine"
"He was Michael's doctor, Michael wanted him. That was it," Gongaware said.

Putnam:" Did you think about checking the doctor?"
Gongaware: "No"
Putnam: "Why not?"
Gongaware: "He was Michael's doctor"
" I'm not going to tell Michael Jackson who his doctor should be," Gongaware explained. "It wasn't my place to say who his doctor was going to be," Gongaware said. "It was his decision."
Gongaware said he doesn't think a doctor's financial situation has anything to do with being an ethical doctor. Gongaware said it never crossed his mind to either do a background check on Dr. Murray or to suggest to anyone to do it. "I just expect doctors to be ethical, the financial side of their lives shouldn't have an impact on their medical decision," Gongaware opined.
Gongaware said he never did a background check on anyone he hired and had he done one on Dr. Murray, it would've been out of the ordinary.
He also said he never considered performing background checks on Jackson's makeup artist, a choreographer who worked one-on-one with the singer or Kenny Ortega, the tour's director. "I didn't see the need for it," he said.
Dr. Finkelstein, a friend of Gongaware, said a doctor should charge $10,000 a month for the tour work. But Dr. Finkelstein would've done it for free, since he was on the Dangerous tour before and had a lot of fun
The second call about Dr. Murray came from Michael Amir Williams saying they were going to need to get a deal done for the doctor. Gongaware said he heard Michael in the car saying "offer 150, offer 150." Gongaware understood that to be $150k/month. Gongaware called Dr. Murray, said he was authorized to offer him $150k a month. He said Dr. Murray responded that he couldn't do it for that. Gongaware told him the offer came directly from the artist and Dr. Murray responded: "I'll take it" Gongaware said Michael approved the amount of compensation. "Michael told me offer 150," Gongaware recalled. "And that's what I did." Gongaware inquired from Dr. Murray how he would get a license in London and the doctor told him not to worry about it. They talked about Dr. Murray's request for a house in London, and the doctor said he would need a three bedroom house. Gongaware recalled Dr. Murray saying he would probably need an assistant and some equipment, but no details were given at this point. After the call, Gongaware said he let Michael Amir Williams know what the result was in a May 6th email: Done at 150k per month, per MJ. He needs about 10 days to wind down his practice then he will be full time
Asked why he had negotiated with Murray, the AEG executive replied that he was "instructed to by Michael Jackson." Gongaware said there was no other reason for him to deal with the doctor. Marvin Putnam asked Gongaware why he didn't tell Jackson he couldn't take Murray on tour with him."Because he could if he wanted," Gongaware said.
Gongaware said he passed Dr. Murray on to Timm Wooley, never had any other conversation with Dr. Murray about him possibly going to London.
Putnam: "Do you have any understanding as to whether a contract with Dr. Murray was executed?"
Gongaware: "One never was"
Putnam: "Did AEG pay Dr. Murray any kind of money?"
Gongaware: "No"
Gongaware said Michael was ultimately responsible for his own health:
"I think everyone is responsible for their own health and well being. He was a grown man with the capability to make decisions regarding his health and medical care"
Putnam showed Gongaware a frame from the This Is It film in which Jackson's manager, Frank Dileo, was sitting in on dancer auditions. Dancers auditions took place at the Nokia Theater on April 13, 14 & 15. Michael attended the last day and made the final decision, Gongaware said. He said Ortega wanted to film the audition to use fresh footage on michaeljacksonlive.com. The cost for crew to shoot the audition was very high, so Gongaware bought a couple of cameras and used his own crew to shoot the rehearsals. He said he wasn't sure what he would use the video for, but thought the website would be a good platform.
Gongaware said during the period at Center Staging, Michael was good, engaging, didn't think there were any health issues or was using drugs
Gongaware said the media in the UK was going wild with gossip about Michael Jackson. "They just lie about things." The Sun claimed Michael had skin cancer on his chest. "It was sport over in London," Gongaware said about stories on tabloids. Gongaware testified about emails in which UK press agents working on This Is It sent him tabloid reports on Michael's health. Gongaware said he urged the press agents not to respond. He wanted Jackson's performance to speak for itself & silence skeptics.
Gongaware on 5/27/09:
The Kid is healthy and rehearsing every day. He was still there at dance rehearsals at 9pm last night when I left. Our redemption will be when he does his shows, that makes all of this build up so damn sweet. We don't have to sell tickets, so we can just sit back and prove them wrong by just doing it.
Gongaware said he was not concerned
"If there was something going on, if he had cancer, we would've heard about it."
Michael Jackson rehearsal venues:
  • Mar 28- Center Staging
  • May 27- Forum June 23 - Staples Center
  • July 13 - O2 Arena
Putnam also asked Gongaware about an incident Karen Faye testified about, that she heard him yelling at Michael's assistant one day. The incident occurred while This Is It rehearsals were happening at The Forum in LA. Faye claimed she heard Gongaware yelling about Jackson being late to a rehearsal and told his assistant to get him there. "Never, never happened," Gongaware said, shaking his head.
Putnam went through a chain of emails about tabloid reports in the UK regarding Michael. In one, it said Michael had asked AEG to reduce the number of shows by half. Gongaware said that such a discussion never happened. Gongaware testified he woke up to one gossip headline pretty much every day. His idea was simply to ignore the tabloids. "An amazing show would be the answer", Gongaware said
Gongaware on 6/5/09 in response to Sunday Mirror Query:
"We can only make this work, of course, if MJ puts on the best show of his life. I'm here to tell you that be will. I have seen it for myself. Last night he ran 9 songs with full band, singers and dancers. Sang every one, he was amazing, captivating, riveting. And he's just getting started. Taking it one step further. When people realize that bulls**t the press has been, they will be in receptive mood for the truth Hey look. No skin cancer. He's just a good dad, loving raising his kids. His art and his craft are paramount. A gentle, loving man who does care about people
"The shows were going to be spectacular," Gongaware said. Putnam showed a clip of Michael in front of a green screen with 11 dancers, who would become 11,000. Gongaware said Michael was great at this point
Regarding email Phillips sent Gongaware directing to remove Michael's "skeletal" scenes Gongaware said he didn't take anything out of the movie.
Putnam: "Did you remove anything from the movie?"
Gongaware: "No"
Putnam showed a clip from This Is It with the making of "Thriller 3D" and Jackson wearing red jacket.
Putnam: "Did you try to alter in anyway how Mr. Jackson looked, appeared?"
Gongaware: "No"
Gongaware said he didn't remember any of the footage been removed because of how Michael looked. "We just let the footage speak for itself"
The mini-movie of "Earth Song" a bulldozer would come out from a ramp in center stage.
Putnam: "A real bulldozer?"
Gongaware: "I wish, it would've been cheaper, but it would have crushed our ramps"
Gongaware said they had to build the bulldozer like a prop. It would appear at the end of the song on stage. "I think the live audience would be just captivated by it," Gongaware said about the little girl running after the last plant on Earth song.
End of the show would be 3D animation. An airplane taxis up, door opens, Michael entered the plane. The airplane door closes, Michael would actually take an elevator down and out of the building, but the plane would take off over the audience
Gongaware said he didn't know if anyone was responsible for Michael's nourishment. Tour would be demanding and exhausting
Gongaware said he met Dr. Murray once at MJ's Carolwood house and ran into him at The Forum during rehearsal. There was a meeting scheduled to discuss Michael's nutrition with Randy Phillips, Kenny Ortega, Dr. Murray, Michael, Gongaware and DiLeo.
Putnam: "Do you recall anyone in that meeting ever telling Dr. Murray how he should be treating Michael?"
Gongaware: "No"
Gongaware said he didn't have any medical training and wasn't qualified to tell Conrad Murray how to treat Jackson
Gongaware said neither Dr. Murray nor Michael talked about the treatment he was receiving. The meeting was about nutrition & vitamin therapy. Gongaware said he had no idea Dr. Murray was giving Michael Propofol and first heard of the anesthetic after Michael died. Gongaware said Dr. Murray was really engaged in the meeting, seemed like a very intelligent guy and wanted to take care of Michael very much. This was the first time Gongaware met with Dr. Murray. He said there were no signs of Michael being poorly treated by the doctor. "Michael was engaged in the meeting, attentive, seemed happy we were having this meeting," Gongaware opined. "He's a doctor, he'd know better than anybody how to treat his patient," Gongaware said about Dr. Murray.
As to Gongaware's email saying AEG, not Michael, paid Dr Murray he said he was mistaken. "We wouldn't pay his salary, we'd advance Michael's money". Gongaware said he didn't remember writing/receiving the email, but never denied he did it.
As to Michael being habitually late, Gongaware said the singer worked on his own schedule, did things his way
Gongaware said his understanding was that Michael hired a trainer of his choice, Louis (Lou) Ferrigno: "I made the deal with him (Ferrigno). He was supposed to be paid a certain amount of money per session" He didn't elaborate on fee, how many times he worked with Michael. Putnam showed an email from Travis Payne, he suggested a massage chair to be put in Michael's dressing room.
As to Bugzee's email saying MJ needed cheeseburgers, brats and beers, Gongaware said Bugzee was joking, Bugzee cared very much for Michael. Gongaware testified he didn't recall having any concern about Michael's health/using painkillers as of Monday 6/15/09, 10 days prior to his death
Gongaware was asked about several emails that have been shown before, including messages related to MJ missing rehearsal on June 19, 2009. The executive was on the East Coast for a family wedding, but responded to one message questioning why Murray wasn't at rehearsal. Gongaware email:
Take the doctor with you. Why wasn't he there last night?
He then explained his thinking to the jury. Gongaware:
If his patient is having a problem and he's sick, and he's his only patient, it seemed like he should be there
Gongaware said on 6/19/09, he was out of town. "This is the day Michael had chills at rehearsal and was apparently sick," Gongaware recalled. "If the meeting was going to be about what happened that night, the doctor should be there," Gongaware said.
Gongaware said he believed Michael wanted to go on tour. He said he doesn't remember anyone talking about pulling the plug on the shows.
Putnam: "Did anyone tell you at this point that Michael needed a drug addiction specialist?"
Gongaware: "No"
Putnam: "Did anyone tell you they were concerned with the care Dr. Murray was giving to Michael?"
Gongaware: "No"
Gongaware said that on 6/20/09 he did not think Michael's health was deteriorating.
With last questions of the day, Putnam asked Gongaware if he was concerned about Jackson's well-being. He said "Yes"
Court Transcript
submitted by FelicitySmoak_ to MichaelJackson [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 12:27 Mad_Creator Gorm's Epic (English Version)

Gorm's Epic (English Version)
Episode 1 The End of the Exodus A great, huge ship, a real Ark of 130 cubits, was sailing on the flat sea of a blue and sunny afternoon.
-…I still wonder why you gave such a name to our ship…-
Krom-Nav said, as he steered the wheel. The two brothers always had something to say about each other: Krom-Nav was the eldest, always dutiful and precise in his duties, while Yughy, the youngest, was the more reckless one, always ready to experiment. The first had long brown hair that stopped at his shoulders, light and large eyes, a smooth beard that started under the hooked nose, surrounded the mouth, and ended by covering the chin with a point. The second had shorter hair, hazel, darker eyes, a veil of beard on the chin, both tall, athletic bodied, Krom leaner and Yughy Sturdier, dressed, like the rest of their people on that great ship, in animal furs decorated with the symbols of their people: Five symbols that indicated the elements, Water, Earth, Plants, Air, Fire, which all revered and respected. The two had very different characters: Yughy was impulsive, skilled at manual labor, a hothead who often acted on feeling rather than reason. Krom, on the other hand, was more methodical, more thoughtful, didn't talk much unless necessary, loved to read, and always kept a watchful eye on his people and crew.
  • Come on brother! It's been years since we set sail! You should have figured it out! He means “Earth”!- -And I repeat that "Terra", for a ship that sails on water, seems to me a name that is not at all suitable, Yughy…- -AH! BUT YOU DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND ANYTHING! It's called "Earth" as a good omen! That is to FIND the EARTH, after this very long journey at sea! It's a metaphor, a synonym of Hope!- -Maybe…for me the name Gheos, it still seems strange to me…- -You'll see that you'll get used to it sooner or later…- -Okay! You get used to taking the helm!-
Krom said, walking away, while Yughy looked at him in amazement.
-HEY BUT YOU DUMPING ME LIKE THIS?- -EXACTLY!-
And laughing, he made his way to the large stern. Their relationship had always been like this, since they were children. Bound by a brotherly love that occasionally cracked, but never broke. Even in the darkest moment, in fact, they were together.
10 years earlier, on a very distant coast, on a misty island, stood the village of Missa, a village known for its constant mist. The Missians were a peaceful people, dedicated to agriculture, livestock and fishing, and worshiped the elements of Nature: The Earth, on which they could build their houses, The Plants, which gave them shelter and nourishment, The Air , which moved their mills and relieved them from the heat, Water, which gave them its fish and quenched their thirst, and Fire, which protected and warmed them in the dark nights. Some of them were called Old Sages: They were those who mediated between the Elements of Nature and the material world, holders of ancient powers with which they were born and which they then handed down to their successors. They could blend in and disappear in the eyes of others, use their magic to perform miracles, could increase their strength and speed dramatically, and could read minds and move objects with their thoughts. The title of "Old Sage" referred to the first Village Chief, an old man who helped his people to settle in that place, facing dangers and vicissitudes using his magic to create bridges, drive away beasts and make the land fertile. Since then, individuals with similar powers, even young ones, have received this nomea, a noble title for those who would have been the guides, defenders, or scholars of ancient primordial arts.
There Krom-Nav and Yughy were born. Since they were children they showed innate abilities: Krom spoke with plants and animals, perfectly understanding their moods and intentions without his mouth producing sound, and he was able to exploit the air currents to run faster or make the windmills move, while Yughy was able to manipulate the fire, deflect water in the fields with only the laying on of hands and carried heavy rocks making them float with the power of his mind. Both were in total control of the elements of Nature, and were the most talented of those with their powers. The other villagers respected them, and somewhat feared their power. Krom tried to use his powers to improve life in the village, and was always thinking of his fellow citizens, but Yughi was a much more restless spirit: He composed works of art, sculpting the surrounding hills, but often caused disasters such as landslides and mountain slides, when they pissed him off, he controlled torches to set the pants of troublemakers on fire, and played with water, causing it to float in the air, but when he got distracted, the water fell back, often ruining previously irrigated fields. All pranks that Krom-Nav then had to solve, and the bickering between the two brothers was all too frequent. After a few years, the two grew up, and Krom-Nav was elected full-fledged Sage and head of the village of Missa, while Yughy, also elected Sage, became his trusted second. But not even the time to celebrate, that the tragedy struck the village. A neighboring village, made up of a tribe of hunters and vandals, wanted to take possession of the powers of the Sages of Missa. Thus a war broke out which nearly wiped out the Missians, as the enemies burned houses and destroyed crops. In a last desperate attempt, Krom-Nav defended the survivors of his people, together with other Old Sages and the best Missian warriors, while Yughy shaped with his Psychic power, the metal extracted from the earth, and the wood of the last unburnt forests, a large and stately ship where all the Missians boarded. The few left to defend them sacrificed themselves with honor as Krom-Nav mounted Gheos, and set sail, concentrating his powers and controlling the wind to swell the ship's sails. That terrible night, fortunately, most of the Missians survived, including Yughy, Krom-Nav, and his still infant son, little Lehander.
Lehander was now 10 years old, born with one yellow and one black eye, his hair shimmered in the light and turned dull in the shade, he was an enterprising and playful child, also endowed with powers, like his father. While his uncle steered, and Krom, his father, made sure all was well on the ship, Lehander slept peacefully in the hold, where everyone's dormitories resided. As the ship cradled him in the waves, his dreams came alive with strange visions: Before him loomed an ominous mountain, tall, with spiers that seemed to form a thorny crown of pointed rocks, and the front wall carved as if it were an evil visage. From the "mouth" of the mountain, incandescent lava and magma came out, a real river of death, and from it arose monstrous creatures with red and yellow skin. Then the dream became absurd, moved, strange, many different images of strange creatures fighting against fire demons, until everything suddenly stopped. Lehander saw the Volcano, again, but this time from above, and with it a whole island, huge, with blue seas, green forests, steep mountain ranges and all sorts of natural wonders. Then in front of him, a ball of light. When he tried to touch her, he woke up. It was now full night and beside him was his father.
-DAD…DAD WAKE UP!- Krom-Nav opened his eyes lazily, seeing his son shaken.
-Hey…did you have that nightmare again?- -Yes! But this time it was longer! There was the Volcano, the demons, and then other creatures appeared, and they all lived on this huge and beautiful island in the middle of the sea!-
Krom, listened curious, but disturbed. His son not only had both his and his brother's abilities, but he had developed unusual powers: He often saw how the child, in totally random moments, was able to move his own and the shadows of objects hit by the sun, as if they were solid, and he was able to mold them into any shape. In the same way he was able to "take" the rays of the sun or the moon that shone through the cracks in the wood of the ship to illuminate a totally dark place. He also had the unnerving ability to make small predictions: Krom could not get out of his mind how, one day, Lehander said "I'm going to look for a blanket.", and in that instant the climate, which until then had been scorching, suddenly became cloudy and cold, so much so that he had to interrupt the navigation for two days. So those dreams she told him were hard to ignore. They sounded absurd, but what if they were harbingers of something horrific? He couldn't take this lightly, he had learned over the years that chance was nothing more than a way for the mind to justify natural phenomena and destiny. Krom spoke about this a few nights later with his brother Yughy, after Lehander had a similar vision again, but he kept telling him not to worry, while they were at the bow looking at the sea, that probably the child's immature powers made harmless pranks.
-Krom, you get too worked up…do you remember, when we were kids, I had that dream about a red-hot rock that would hit me on the head?- -Yes, I remember…you were so agitated that when you finally sat down under a tree and a pine cone hit you, you passed out for hours from terror.- -You never remember nice things…anyway if you notice I was a child, and while you already had conversations with blackbirds and lizards, I still had to figure out how to avoid setting fire to the grove behind the house…- -So you want to tell me that Lehander is only very young?- -And also that his powers sometimes go to his head! Then he's always been a kid with a wild imagination, you shouldn't take it too seriously!-
The two continued to converse about it, while the night sky was lit only by moonlight. Krom-Nav continued to be worried about his son's visions, while Yughy continued to reassure him. Krom, however, couldn't get over it, since that wasn't the only thing troubling him.
-Sometimes, when he thinks he's alone, I hear him talking as if he were with someone else...often it almost seems like he's "arguing" with himself.- -Maybe just play, don't you think?- -I know my son, and I distinguish well when he plays and when something is wrong. He's had weird attitudes ever since he started walking on this ship. He has powers unlike ours or any other Sage who have come before us, plus it seems as if he is never fully awake…I think this journey has become too long…our people need a place to call home…and this vessel can no longer be. Far too many people were born and died here, and I think that the continuous wandering in the sea for years is doing as much harm to our body as to our psyche.- -I know brother...I know...-
Yughy said, as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
-…But I'm sure we're almost there. I read the stars yesterday, they seemed to be in the right position, and a few days ago I saw some seagulls in the sky! We are certainly close to the earth!- -You say? What if it was just an islet? A tiny strip of land?- -It will mean that we will replenish the supplies, we could take Lehi and the other children for a walk, and then we will leave again! Where there is a strip of land Often there are others not far away, who knows, maybe after that we won't find a bigger island, or an entire continent!- -…Let's hope so…- -Hey, Hey! Don't make that face. Come on, if I can get that frown out of you, as soon as we stop I'll have Lehander go on a little adventure! As soon as he helps me gather wood, he'll forget about his bad dreams! What are you saying, big brother?- -…Thanks Yughy.-
They continued to converse for a while, Krom-Nav felt more and more reassured by the words of his brother, who had always helped him raise his son: While escaping from Missa, little Lehander's mother, Astreg, was killed by an arrow shot straight to the heart. Krom-Nav had not had time to bury her for years, and kept her remains, mummified so as not to lose them, in a remote room of the ship, waiting for a suitable place for her burial. Since then Krom raised his son alone, with the help of Yughy, who often entertained the child, making him do small jobs on the ship, teaching him some magical techniques, and playing the funny uncle. The two spent a lot of time together, often not even Krom knew where Lehander was, only to later find him with his uncle.
As the two brothers continued to talk, a yell from the watchtower made them whirl around.
-FOG BANK COMING SOON!-
The two brothers ran to the helm, which was being steered by one of their best men, Hagar.
-What happen?- -We are entering a bank of fog, Krom. Looks pretty thick,- -Fog? But how?-
The ship then plunged into fog. All the Missians exited their cabins and made their way to the deck. Lehander reached his father and hugged him tightly, while Krom kept his arm around him. The fog was thick, white, so much so that everyone could feel the steam touching them like a caress, and the salty smell of the sea almost seemed like a sweet aroma. This penetrating fog reminded everyone of the fog of Missa, and caused a sense of nostalgia, serenity, peace in the souls of each of them. Either because of Hagar's caution, or because of the pearly and compact vapor, the mist looked like an infinite Cloud in which the ship was almost swimming. Abruptly, Hagar stopped. Something in the sea was moving. A rumbling was rising from the depths of the sea, and it seemed to get closer and closer. Everyone felt it, and terrified they stood silent, hugging their loved ones. Krom, he looked around, perceived a great, immense force around them. Yughy instead heard only an indecipherable muttering. Then, suddenly, a gasp. The ship began to rock violently, everyone held on to something, the two brothers barely resisted standing. The ship rocked for minutes, until something popped up from the sea: An enormous head, twice the size of the ship, emerged from the water. A gargantuan creature with a reptilian head, mottled and scaly skin, tinged with a brilliant abyssal blue, opened its mouth, emitting a high-pitched dissonant song and displaying thousands of sharp teeth, arranged in a comb, as large as the trees of the ship. His mouth shut, his oil-black eye opened, and he just stood there staring at the ship. Krom-Nav approached the rail, where the eye of the creature scrutinized the ship, while Yughy and Lehander watched the scene amazed together with the rest of the people.
-KROM! COME BACK HERE!- -Keep calm…- -KROM! FOR THE SAKE OF THE ELEMENTS, IT'S NOT A DOLPHIN!- -I said stay calm, Yughy…I feel it…it's powerful…but it's not hostile…- -…HOW SHOULD YOU SAY THAT YOU FEEL IT?-
Krom got as close as possible. He saw the giant pupil turn towards him, narrow and then widen. He feared neither the ship nor Krom. And he didn't seem to want to attack her. Lehander also approached, as if attracted by that magnificent creature. Krom held his son close, and in the process, tried to use his powers to communicate with us. The only thing he heard were strange words in an incomprehensible language.
-Dad...maybe I can understand you...-
Krom wondered for a moment, how could his son already know a language that he didn't know either? But he could not let fear dominate him.
-...Lehe...be careful...and tell us what the beast wants.-
Lehander approached, under the astonished eyes of all. The mighty animal began to make strange noises, but it seemed that somehow, its roaring gurgle and its high-pitched song, resembled words, sentences, a finished speech he was having with the child. Abruptly, he changed, and Lehander turned to face his people.
-…He said his name was Murena. It lives a little further on, in its great lair at the bottom of the sea, near a southward current, and a ditch beyond it. She says that she is one of the guardians of this sea, and that she has a friend with many tentacles, with whom she sometimes fights over the place where she likes to eat. Near her lair is also a large Island. If we ask them please we can live there! There's plenty of room, lots of wood, enough food and water for everyone! We just have to not fish too much and not catch too much. She says she has many other friends on earth, and she doesn't want some of them to get angry.-
The great Moray eel slowly closed and reopened her eye towards the boat, as if it were a sign of assent. Yughy approached his brother.
-…it almost seems that…- -Yes…he understood that Lehander is a “puppy”…and made him understand it easily…- -So, there really is an island…and it's big enough for all the people.- -He also said that there are Beasts like her, if not bigger, that could kill us.- -KROM! HE SAID WE SHOULD NOT DISTURB THEM AS WE ALWAYS HAVE DONE WHEN WORSHIP THE ELEMENTS! YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND! WE ARE ONE STEP AWAY FROM OUR NEW HOME! IF IT'S AS BIG AS IT SAYS WE WOULD NEVER HUNGER! WE WOULD RESIST FOR GENERATIONS AND GENERATIONS! FOR THE FIRST TIME YOUR CHILD WILL TOUCH THE WARM GROUND AND NOT THE COLD WOOD OF THIS SHIP! YOU CAN BURY ASTREG INSTEAD OF ROTTING IT IN THE SEA! IF THIS THING WOULD HAVE WANTED TO EAT YOU IT WOULD ALREADY HAVE DONE IT! LOOK HOW BIG HIS MOUTH IS! THINK WHAT'S UNDER THE SEA! IT'S OUR CHANCE, BROTHER! OUR INVITATION TO A PEACEFUL LIFE FOR US, FOR YOUR PEOPLE! FOR YOUR CHILD!-
Krom was torn: On the one hand there was the risk of a trap by that monster, on the other, his people were tired of travelling, tired of seeing only the sea and having to make do to survive. Krom approached his son.
-Ask her…to show us the way.- -YES!-
Lehander with the most innocent smile he could muster looked at his father and uncle, and turned to the Moray Eel. It remained motionless for an interminable minute, then, its head moved forward, towards the direction of the Gheos ship, its long bluish body began to show itself as it swam towards that direction. It seemed endless, but out of the queue, Krom-Nav realized that his brother was right in his greatness. It was ten times the length of the ship, its serpentine body like a moving mountain range, and the long translucent blue fin that ran along its entire body made it even more imposing to the shocked Missians. The Moray Eel swam ahead of the ship, and began to swim straight ahead to show the way out of the mist. Krom, immediately set to work.
-HAGAR! FULL SPEED! SAILS EXPLAINED! WE NEED TO STAY BEHIND IT! YUGHY! REACH THE LOOKOUT AND CLIMB THE MAIN MAST! ALL ELSE BELOW DECKS!-
And so they did, everyone took their places, the civilians returned, and Krom stood straight in the bow, followed by his son who watched in ecstasy as the gigantic creature guided them towards the unknown. Mist beat against their faces as the ship went at full speed driven by the wind. The creature accelerated more and more as the clouds cleared, they were coming, the salty smell was slowly disappearing. Then, from the top of the watchtower, Yughy screamed together with the other sailor.
-GHEOOOOOOOS! GHEOOOOOOOS! EEEEEARTH!-
Krom still couldn't see it, then the sunlight blinded him, Lehander, and Hagar. As their eyes adjusted, they saw her: A gigantic island loomed before them, a huge layer of land surrounded by cliffs and a sea so blue it looked like fresh water, so clear that you could see all kinds of sea creatures swimming beside the ship, known and unknown. Two huge mountains welcomed them, towering over endless expanses of lush jungles and forests, and surrounded by towering mountain ranges that crowned the entire island. It was their promised land. Their new home
Yughy, he got off, very excited and joined his brother and nephew.
-…Look…WHAT SPLENDOR...- -…Yes…finally…we are home…- -We absolutely have to find a name for her…- -I already have a name for her…- -And what will it be called?- -…it will be our Life from now on…- -Life…you mean..?- -Exactly…GORM…-
submitted by Mad_Creator to Gormiti [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 12:09 Empty-Poet-5305 Buyer doesn't know what a postal code is

Buyer doesn't know what a postal code is submitted by Empty-Poet-5305 to u/Empty-Poet-5305 [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 11:09 BruteSentiment Daily Minors Quick-Notes 6/2/23 - Villar hits another HR in Sacramento

Daily Minors Quick-Notes 6/2/23 - Villar hits another HR in Sacramento
It was Kyle Harrison day in Sacramento, but David Villar stole the show with a big day at the plate. Plus, Vaun Brown continues to hit well in Double-A as he gets up to speed.

AAA: Sacramento 10, Tacoma 6

Link
https://preview.redd.it/mugv995brr3b1.jpg?width=2496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=52359bd25e8d70b4ffcc27e26871002fbafe3007
Sacramento Notes:
  • Kyle Harrison day resulted in another win, thanks most to two big innings. Sacramento scored five in the 2nd inning, with three singles, two walks, and a double. They doubled that, with five runs in the 6th, powered by David Villar’s 3-run home run. Harrison only pitched 3.2 innings, but since he allowed only one run, it put the River Cats and right momentum to win.
  • It was a fine start for Kyle Harrison, as he gave up just one run in 3.2 innings, on four hits, three walks, and a HBP, with five strikeouts. The run came off a home run he allowed in the 2nd inning. It’s the third home run Harrison has allowed in 38 innings this season, with 66 strikeouts against 34 walks.
  • Third baseman David Villar had another big day at the plate. Villar went 3-for-5 with a home run and a double. In 11 games at Sacramento, Villar has a batting line of .295/.392/.616 with two doubles and four home run, with seven walks to 14 strikeouts.
https://twitter.com/RiverCats/status/1664826401843818496?s=20
https://twitter.com/RiverCats/status/1664844731547897858?s=20
  • Tyler Fitzgerald led the team with hits, going 4-for-5 and picked up a stolen base, his 10th at Sacramento. It’s Fitzgeralds first 4-hit game of the season, and jumped his batting average up from .282 to .313 in one game. Fitzgerald now has ten steals in as many attempts in Triple-A, and also had three in as many attempts over 19 games in Double-A before that.
https://twitter.com/RiverCats/status/1664854115220959235?s=20
  • Luis Matos had a down day, going only 2-for-5 with a pair of singles. It’s his fourth straight game with multiple hits, but two hits is the least of all those four games. He’s gone 12-for-21 (.571) over that span, pushing his Sacramento batting average from .313 to .391.
https://twitter.com/RiverCats/status/1664843974886957059?s=20
  • Making a rehab start was Joey Bart, going 1-for-4. It’s Bart’s first game since May 17th in San Francisco, where he was batting .231/.286/.295.
  • Reliever Nick Avila gave up a run in 1.1 innings, on one hit, which of course was a home run. He did get three strikeouts, though. That gives him 23 strikeouts to 14 walks in 28.0 innings at Sacramento.
  • Reliever Cole Waites went 1.1 innings, striking out one while giving up a hit and a walk. That extends his streak without allowing any runs to eight appearances since he was sent back to Sacramento on May 12th.

AA: Richmond 6, Erie 5

Link
https://preview.redd.it/zd680zybrr3b1.jpg?width=2496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61647bee65c6876ccd21f99ff151fe88ed729871
Richmond Notes:
  • Richmond pulled out a walk-off win in this one. The teams went into the final inning tied at five, and with one out in the 9th, Vaun Brown hit a single. He got some help getting to third, taking extra bases on a passed ball and a wild pitch. On third, Marco Luciano was up, and hit a sacrifice fly to knock in the winning run.
https://twitter.com/GoSquirrels/status/1664800658950594561?s=20
  • Vaun Brown was hitting leadoff, and went 3-for-5 with a double. Brown has a batting line of .389/.463/.694 in Richmond, with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs in nine games with the team.
https://twitter.com/GoSquirrels/status/1664782389267054595?s=20
  • Designated hitter Andy Thomas went 2-for-4 with his fifth home run of the season. The two hits were Thomas’ first since hitting his last home run four games ago, on May 28th. He now has five home runs in 40 games, and is halfway to his career-high, which was ten runs in 88 games last season between Eugene and Everett in High-A.
https://twitter.com/GoSquirrels/status/1664782771410051072?s=20
  • Left fielder Carter Williams was 2-for-4 with a double, just his second on the season. Williams has a batting line of .242/.296/.414 on the year, with the two doubles against five home runs in Richmond.
  • Second baseman Jimmy Glowenke had his best game so far in his short stint at Double-A. So far in Richmond, he’s 3-for-11 (.273) with one walks to three strikeouts.
  • Starting pitcher Mason Black gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in 4.0 innings, with four strikeouts. He now has a 5.89 ERA, with 45 strikeouts to 15 walks in 36.2 innings of work.

High-A: Eugene 2, Vancouver 1

Link
https://preview.redd.it/z1nw09ocrr3b1.jpg?width=2496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc11aa99dd799fcc9045a5012dc3ec75a3f9a06b
Eugene Notes:
  • Eugene pulled out a tight 2-1 game. Edison Mora gave Eugene the initial lead with a solo home run in the 3rd. Vancouver tied it up with a run in the 5th inning, but San Jose took the lead back in the 6th as newcomer Michael Wielansky hit a sacrifice fly for the win.
  • Edison Mora went 1-for-4 and hit his first home run with Eugene. Mora has bounced between San Jose and Eugene this season, and in 13 games at Eugene, he’s only 4-for-42 (.095), but now he has both a home run and a double among those two hits. In 19 games at San Jose, he has four doubles and two home runs while batting .206.
  • Carter Howell was the only Emerald with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a strikeout. In four games at Eugene, Howell is now 7-for-17 (.412) with a double and a triple.
  • Grant McCray went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. On the season, he’s got a .237/.350/.409 batting line with 29 walks to 67 strikeouts, and had seven doubles, two triples, and seven home runs.
  • Logan Wyatt went 1-for-2 with two walks. Through 45 games, Wyatt has only 27 walks now, with 46 strikeouts. He’s got a .260/.362/.432 batting line, with eight doubles and seven home runs.
  • The Giants signed Michael Wielansky out of the Atlantic League, where the 26-year old went .320/.400/.660 over 25 games, with five doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. He went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly in his first game with Eugene. He las played in the affiliated minors back in 2021, when he played 18 games in the Houston system.
  • Starter John Bertrand went 5.0 innings, giving up just the one run on two hits and a walk, with three strikeouts. In five games at Eugene, Bertrand has a 3.86 ERA, while he had a 2.65 ERA in five relief appearances at San Jose before that.
  • Closer Tyler Myrick had a scoreless outing, giving up a hit while striking out one. Myrick now has a 1.02 ERA after 18 games, and has 16 strikeouts to three walks in 17.2 innings.

Low-A: San Jose 2, Fresno 1

Link
https://preview.redd.it/oxmh3b3err3b1.jpg?width=2496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0040081c076dfba9bdaea6cbb7a744c3c456daa7
San Jose Notes:
  • This game went quick, without any scoring until the 6th inning. The Giants notched their first run with a sacrifice fly in the 6th, while they got a run on a fielder’s choice and error in the 8th to go up 2-0. Fresno picked up a run in the 9th in the worst way to score a run while being behind in the 9th: a run knocked in by a double play. The two outs quickly snuffed out the Fresno rally, and the game ended one batter after.
  • Despite this game being mostly a pitcher’s duel, Diego Velasquez got on base every time he came to the plate, going 1-for-1 with two walks and a HBP. Velasquez now has a batting line of .325/.431/.425 with ten doubles and two home runs, and 24 walks to 32 strikeouts this season.
  • Both of San Jose’s runs were knocked in by Matt Higgins, who went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly. Higgins is hitting .291/.377/.483 with nine second basemen, a triple, and six home runs.
https://twitter.com/SJGiants/status/1664838548980396033?s=20
https://twitter.com/SJGiants/status/1664846158664175618?s=20
  • Turner Hill got into his second game, going 1-for-4 with a walk. He’s 2-for-8 (.250) with a double in his first two games with San Jose.
  • Starter Gerelmi Maldonado had a great start, going 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits with five strikeouts. It was just Maldonado’s second start of the year without allowing any runs. He has a 4.22 ERA, with 37 strikeouts to 23 walks with 32.0 innings.
  • Esmerlin Vinicio had 2.0 scoreless innings, giving up only two hits to four strikeouts. Vinicio now has 24 strikeouts to 18 walks in 27.1 innings , and has a 3.62 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP.
submitted by BruteSentiment to SFGiants [link] [comments]